FAIRFIELD, Calif. – No. 16 San Diego men's tennis completed a stunning comeback to claim a 4-3 victory over No. 27 Pepperdine for the program's third consecutive WCC Championship and ninth in the last 10 years under 11th-year head coach
Ryan Keckley.
"What a match," said Keckley. "The woed grit doesn't do it justice. The clinching moment is one I will never forget."
The instant-classic title match from Green Valley Country Club lasted over four and a half hours in what was about as dramatic as a match can be from start to finish complete with several tiebreaks and fine margins, the Toreros emerging victorious from a 1-3 deficit.
It was a highly contested match from the very beginning. USD claimed a 6-4 win on court two via All-American National Champion duo
Stian Klaassen and
Oliver Tarvet, but after a Wave win on court three, the doubles point lay in the balance with main court.
In a 55-minute set, Pepperdine's Edward Winter and David Fix edged the nationally ranked No. 32 pairing of
Lambert Ruland and
Adrien Berrut in a tiebreak, 7-6 (8-6) to claim the match's first point and move the Toreros to 21-4 on the season in doubles points.
Pepperdine then doubles its advantage in singles, with a straight-set victory on court six. The Toreros answered immediately, however, as Berrut posted a composed 6-3, 6-2 win over Gustavo Almeida on court four to get USD on the board.
The Waves answered back and went back out to a two-point cushion again, taking a straight set match on court five. With their backs against the wall, the Toreros would need to win the three remaining matches to pull off the comeback.
National No. 19
Oliver Tarvet got things rolling on court one, dispatching Edward Winter in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, his 12
th straight win to improve to 18-2 on the season.
Then, No. 93
Manvydas Balciunas, the freshman, delivered the pivotal swing on court two. After dropping the opening set 0-6, he regrouped to take the second 6-3 and then edged Lasse Poertner in a tense and crucial tiebreak, 7-6 (7-2), to even the match at three.
That left it all to redshirt senior
Stian Klaassen on court three in what became the match of the day. Klaassen and Aleksa Pisaric exchanged sets, with Klaassen claiming the first in a 7-6 tiebreak, dropping a tight second 5-7, before regrouping to claim the deciding set 7-6 (7-4). Klaassen trailed 0-4 in the tiebreak before rallying off seven straight points in a wild clinch for the Toreros as he was stormed on the court by his teammates.
"Pepperdine played some brilliant ball today and they put us constantly down in the score count," said Keckley. "They applied a ton of pressure and the boys just battled. It took four and half hours to see the comeback complete. A true story book ending for Ollie and Stian.
"I'm so prouf of this team and the leaders that made today ours."
Up Next
The 16
th-ranked Toreros turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, April 27 at 1 p.m. in which they hope to hear their names called as regional hosts for a second straight season. The selection committees top-16 teams host the first and second round of the tournament between Friday and Sunday, May 1-3.
Results
[1] San Diego 4, [2] Pepperdine 3
April 25, 2026 | Fairfield, Calif. – Green Valley Country Club
#16 San Diego (20-5) | #27 Pepperdine (17-9)
Doubles
1. Edward Winter/David Fix (PEPP) def. #32
Lambert Ruland/
Adrien Berrut (USD) 7-6 (8-6)
2.
Stian Klaassen/
Oliver Tarvet (USD) def. Lasse Poertner/Gustavo Almeida (PEPP) 6-4
3. Maxi Homberg/Aleksa Pisaric (PEPP) def.
Vincent Marysko/
Manvydas Balciunas (USD) 6-4
Singles
1. #19
Oliver Tarvet (USD) def. Edward Winter (PEPP) 6-3, 6-3
2. #93
Manvydas Balciunas (USD) def. Lasse Poertner (PEPP) 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3.
Stian Klaassen (USD) def. Aleksa Pisaric (PEPP) 7-6 (7-1), 5-7, 7-6 (7-4)
4.
Adrien Berrut (USD) def. Gustavo Almeida (PEPP) 6-3, 6-2
5. Maxi Homberg (PEPP) def.
Lambert Ruland (USD) 6-4, 6-4
6. David Fix (PEPP) def.
Neo Niedner (USD) 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles -- 3, 2, 1; Singles -- 6, 4, 1, 5, 2, 3
