May 11, 2008
MALIBU, Calif. - The No. 22 Stanford men's tennis season came to a close this afternoon in southern California as the No. 13 Pepperdine Waves came back in singles to win 4-2 over the Cardinal in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Stanford jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point, but dropped three straight singles matches after the break to put itself in a hole it ultimately couldn't climb out of.
Just like yesterday, the Cardinal captured the doubles point thanks to the No. 1 and No. 3 duos. Freshman Greg Hirshman and his partner sophomore Richard Wire struck first, dispatching Pepperdine's James Lemke and Mahmoud Kamel, 8-5 in the third position. Following that win, juniors Blake Muller and Matt Bruch upset the No. 24 ranked pair of Andre Begemann and Omar Altmann, 8-4, in the top spot. Stanford's freshmen combo of Alex Clayton and Ted Kelly remained knotted 6-6 with the Waves' Bassam Beidas and Rikus de Villiers and did not finish their match at the No. 2 doubles.
"Our doubles teams got it done," said Head Coach John Whitlinger. "That's something we hadn't done very well lately, and I don't think a lot of people thought we would be able to get that point against Pepperdine, but we did and we put ourselves in a great position by doing so."
In singles action, Pepperdine tallied the first point to even things up one-all, as the Waves' Begemann, ranked No. 11, handled seventh-ranked Clayton 6-0, 6-3. The Waves then won two more matches to take a 3-1 lead as senior Phil Kao fell to Kamel, 7-5, 6-0, and No. 80 Bruch lost to Beidas, 6-0, 6-4.
"Pepperdine came out after the break and took the momentum right back," added Whitlinger. "I thought we played extremely well but they just withstood our challenge, and good veteran teams like them will do that, you have to give them credit for that."
"Begemann played incredible, and I knew it would be a tough match for Alex. He and Alex play conflicting styles, with Begemann playing a serve-volley and attacking Alex when he could, and we tried some things and Alex got up in the second set, but Begemann was just a warrior. He just played great, period."
With the threat of elimination looming, Stanford found itself needing to win three straight matches to avoid ending the season. Muller made a dent in the deficit first, as he trounced Lemke, 6-4, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.
"Blake played great all weekend," praised Whitlinger. "He competed hard and I'm proud of the effort he gave."
Hirshman then rose to the occasion and bested de Villiers 6-3 in the second set after falling 7-6 (4) in the first set, forcing a third stanza. Pepperdine's Altmann then tied up his match with No. 124 Wire, also forcing the extra set. de Villiers proved to be the spoiler though, as he was too much for Hirshman in the third set, defeating him 6-2, and capturing the winning point for the Waves.
"I'm proud of our team, we fought back and it was a great match all the way through, Pepperdine was just too good though," noted Whitlinger. "We just couldn't quite overcome them."
"The guys, they are upset, but they handled the loss with class and dignity and represented Stanford well. I was really hoping for them to get the experience playing as a team in Tulsa, but I think it was a definitely a step in the right direction for these guys after having missed last year. You know, these guys only get four years to experience being in the tournament, and you have to take advantage of that. I think this experience will pay off come next year."
Stanford ends the season with a 12-8 regular season record (5-2 in the Pac-10, third place), and a 13-9 record overall, including postseason. Clayton will participate in the NCAA Singles Championship, beginning May 21 in Tulsa, Okla. at the University of Tulsa.
No. 22 Stanford vs. No. 13 Pepperdine
NCAA Second Round - Pepperdine University
Malibu, Calif. - 05/11/08 - 1 p.m.
Final Score: Pepperdine 4 - Stanford 2
Singles Results: Pepperdine 4 - Stanford 1
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 2, 4, 6
1) #11 Andre Begemann (PEPP) d. #7 Alex Clayton (STAN), 6-0, 6-3
2) #37 Bassam Beidas (PEPP) d. #80 Matt Bruch (STAN), 6-0, 6-4
3) #124 Richard Wire (STAN) vs. #117 Omar Altmann (PEPP), 7-6, 3-6, 1-1 unfinished
4) Blake Muller (STAN) d. James Lemke (PEPP), 6-4, 6-0
5) Mahmoud Kamel (PEPP) d. Phil Kao (STAN), 7-5, 6-0
6) Rikus de Villiers (PEPP) d. Greg Hirshman (STAN), 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2
Doubles Results: Stanford wins the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 1,
1) Muller/Bruch (STAN) d. #24 Begemann/Altmann (PEPP), 8-4
2) Clayton/Kelly (STAN) vs. Beidas/de Villiers (PEPP), 6-6 unfinished
3) Wire/Hirshman (STAN) d. Lemke/Kamel (PEPP), 8-5