Tulsa Knocks Off #18 Pepperdine for First Ranked Win

Sunday, February 6

Tulsa, Okla.

12:00 PM

Tulsa

Pepperdine

Photo by: Campbell Rogerson

Tulsa Knocks Off #18 Pepperdine for First Ranked Win

2/6/2022 3:46:00 PM | Men's Tennis

TULSA, Okla. ― Down 3-1 in the match, the Tulsa men's tennis team fought back to upset 18^th ranked Pepperdine Sunday afternoon in the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Tulsa improves to 4-2 on the season, and 1-1 against ranked opponents.

Tulsa started off fast, winning the doubles point after wins from Daniel Siddall/Tom Thelwall-Jones, who improve to 5-0 this season, and Callum Gale/Adham Gaber. Tulsa has won the doubles point in five of its six matches played this season.

However, Pepperdine bounced back in singles play. The Waves won three consecutive singles matches, on courts four, one, and three, and were one more victory from taking the match.

The Hurricane responded with a straight set win from Ezequiel Santalla over the 23^rd ranked singles player in the country, Pietro Fellin, 6-4, 6-2. Connor Di Marco followed Santalla with a hard-fought win on court five, tying up the match at three.

In a winner-take-all match on court six, Gale found himself in a hole. The six-foot seven-inch sophomore from Australia won the first set 7-5, but dropped the second set 3-6 and was in a 0-3 deficit in the third.

Gale marched back, winning three straight points before Pepperdine's Eric Hadigian, who's ranked No. 99 in the ITA singles rankings, got back on the board.

With his teammates cheering him on right next to court six, Gale delivered, winning three straight points, including a match-clinching service ace, to give Tulsa its first ranked win of the season.

Tulsa will look to build off its biggest win of the season when they travel to face No.2 Baylor on Friday, February 11^th in Waco, Texas at 2 pm.

Tulsa 4, #18 Pepperdine 3

Doubles:
1. No. 60 Di Marco/Pearson vs Vasa/De Jonge unfinished
2. Gale/Gaber def. Rogers/Fellin 6-2
3. Siddall/Thelwall-Jones def. Zeitvogel/Summaria 6-4
Order of finish: 3,2

Singles:
1. No. 8 Daniel De Jonge (Pepperdine) def. Kody Pearson (Tulsa) 6-3, 6-4
2. Ezequiel Santalla (Tulsa) def. No. 23 Pietro Fellin (Pepperdine) 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 72 Tim Zeitvogel (Pepperdine) def. Stefan Hampe (Tulsa) 6-3, 6-4
4. Eero Vasa (Pepperdine) def. Adham Gaber (Tulsa) 6-2, 6-2
5. Connor Di Marco (Tulsa) def. Corrado Summaria (Pepperdine) 6-2, 7-5
6. Callum Gale (Tulsa) def. No. 99 Eric Hadigian (Pepperdine) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 5, 6