Jan. 25, 2002
MALIBU, Calif. — The 26th-ranked Georgia Tech men’s tennis team opened its dual-match campaign with a trip west to California, and found the going difficult on the first day, dropping a 6-1 decision to eighth-ranked Pepperdine at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif.
The Yellow Jackets (0-1) fell behind early, as the Waves (3-0) claimed the doubles point to open the match, winning all three doubles matches in decisive fashion. Pepperdine’s team of Sebastien Graeff and Calle Hansen downed Tech’s top duo of Roger Anderson and David Wright by an 8-4 score, while Al Garland and Stefan Suter defeated the Jackets’ duo of West Nott and Scott Schnugg, 8-2. The final doubles match was won by Johan Berg and Brian Wright of the Waves, who defeated Tech’s Joao Menano and Stephen Moros by an 8-4 count.
In singles action, Yellow Jacket sophomore West Nott was Tech’s lone winner on the day, as he downed Pepperdine’s Diego Acuna at No. 6 singles, in a three-set match. Nott won the first set by a 6-4 score, before falling in the second, 0-6, and rallying in the third set to claim a 6-3 decision.
Three of the other five singles matches also went to a decisive third set, with Pepperdine claiming wins in each of those contests. Steve Racioopi and Tech’s Stephen Moros turned in one of the closest matches of the day, with Moros winning the first set 6-4, before dropping the next two by scores of 6-2, 6-4.
The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, when the face 75th-ranked UC-Irvine in a match that will begin at 3 p.m.
PEPPERDINE 6, GEORGIA TECH 1
SINGLES Al Garland (P) d. Roger Anderson (GT), 6-0, 6-2 Stefan Suter (P) d. Joao Menano (GT), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 Calle Hansen (P) d. David Wright (GT), 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 Steve Racioopi (P) d. Stephen Moros (GT), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Johan Berg (P) d. Scott Schnugg (GT), 6-1, 7-5 West Nott (GT) d. Diego Acuna (P), 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
DOUBLES Sebastien Graeff/Hansen (P) d. Anderson/Wright (GT), 8-4 Garland/Suter (P) d. Nott/Schnugg (GT), 8-2 Berg/Brian Wright (P) d. Menano/Moros (GT), 8-4
