AZUSA, Calif. – After battling for a season-opening 4-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer that was not as close as the score indicates, Azusa Pacific men's tennis had to get right back on court but still had no problem beating Stanton 7-0 on Saturday at the Cougar Tennis Complex.
 
The Cougars didn't drop a set en route to the second win of the season as head coach Mark Bohren showed the depth of his roster. Nine different players in total were in the lineup between the two wins on Saturday, including Christopher Marci, who earned his first career win.
 
Soeren Grandke and David James Brownlee were the two Cougars who won their singles matches in both contests. Grandke won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 singles against Stanton, and while Brownlee needed a tiebreaker, he also won in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
 
Max Schmidhauser remains undefeated in his collegiate career, winning at No. 4 singles 6-0, 6-1. Miha Velicki returned to the No. 1 position after getting some experience there during the first half of the 2024 season. He won 6-3, 6-0 for his 36th career victory. Albertus du Plessis won his match 6-1, 6-3 to start his senior season. It is his first career win at the No. 5 position.
 
In doubles, Joan Crespo teamed up with Grandke at the No. 1 position and won 6-3 to clinch the doubles point after du Plessis and Schmidhauser won quickly 6-1 at No. 3 doubles.
 
The next match for Azusa Pacific is on Saturday at Point Loma at 2 p.m. The Sea Lions were picked No. 3 in the PacWest preseason coaches poll and opened the season with an emphatic win over Westmont.
 
At the No. 1 position, the projected matchup will be between First-Team All-PacWest selections Elias Emilio Walter and Alexander Leischner, who are both looking for their first win of the season. They've only faced each other once before and Walter led 6-3, 3-4 when the match was halted in the 2024 NCAA Division II West Regional.