SAN DIEGO – Azusa Pacific men's tennis got four straight-set wins from the top-4 singles players which was all that was needed to defeat Point Loma on the road, earning a 4-3 win on Saturday afternoon to improve to 3-0 on the season.
 
Point Loma put pressure on the Cougars by winning the doubles point, but four dominant performances at the top-4 singles positions prevented the Sea Lions from taking down the three-time defending PacWest Champions. In fact, all four points were won in order of position.
 
It came down to David James Brownlee at No. 4 singles with all other matches completed and the freshman came through with a 7-5, 6-3 win to keep Azusa Pacific undefeated on the season. Elias Emilio Walter, Soeren Grandke, and Miha Velicki joined Brownlee as the four winners on the day.
 
Walter was the first to win, taking down a fellow first-team All-PacWest selection, Alexander Leischner, in stunning fashion. Walter needed just 54 minutes to secure his 6-1, 6-1 win to put the Cougars on the board. It is his first singles win of the season and the 55^th of his decorated career.
 
Grandke gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead with his 6-3, 6-3 win over 2024 All-PacWest honoree Andrew Suver. In the final game, Grandke hit a stunning backhand winner down the line on the run to make it the perfect finish to an impressive afternoon.
 
Miha Velicki gave the Cougars their third point with his dominant 6-1, 6-4 win over Nabeel Khan at No. 3 singles. While Point Loma earned wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, Azusa Pacific remained in control of the match with Brownlee taking a critical break lead in the second set. The freshman held his nerve in the biggest match so far in his young collegiate career, and carried the Cougars across the finish line.
 
"It's always tough to get wins at Point Loma, especially in the last couple of years, so it's nice to get out of there with a win," head coach Mark Bohren said. "They're a really well-coached program that has really elevated it's talent over the years. DJ [Brownlee] getting that win in the end was nice to see. Players can feel a lot of pressure in situations like that, so for him, as a freshman, to get that win speaks to what kind of a competitor he is."
 
In doubles, Leischner partnered with Elias Weeks, who didn't play singles, to win 6-2 at the No. 1 position against Walter and Velicki. Grandke won with Joan Crespo at No. 3 doubles 6-3, but the deciding set at No. 2 doubles went to the Sea Lions, who won 6-2 against Brownlee and Brody Bohren.
 
The Cougars are right back on the courts when they drive to Santa Barbara to face Westmont on Monday at 2 p.m. Azusa Pacific has an 11-match win streak against Westmont that dates back to when the two teams were rivals in the Golden State Athletic Conference.