RIVERSIDE, Calif. - No. 9 Azusa Pacific men's tennis opened the spring slate in strong fashion, earning a 5–2 road victory over Division I UC Riverside on Monday afternoon at the SRC Tennis Courts. The Cougars set the tone early by claiming the doubles point, then carried that momentum into singles play to secure the win.

Azusa Pacific struck first in doubles with decisive wins at the top two spots. Mathys Pinoit and Soeren Grandke powered past their counterparts at No. 1, 6–3, while David James Brownlee and Viktor Van Craenenbroeck followed with a dominant 6–1 victory at No. 2 to clinch the opening point for the Cougars. 

In singles, it continued to roll. Soeren Grandke delivered a straight-sets performance at No. 1 singles, winning 6–2, 6–4 to extend the Cougars' lead. Joan Crespo added another point at No. 5 with a commanding 6–1, 6–1 victory.
The battle of the match came in a tightly contested three-set battle at No. 2 singles, where Brownlee rebounded after dropping the second set to close out a 6–2, 0–6, 6–4 win. Mathys Pinoit also impressed at No. 3, prevailing in a dramatic three-set tiebreak finish to round out their singles wins.

UC Riverside picked up its two points at Nos. 4 and 6 singles, but the Cougars' depth and consistency across the lineup proved decisive.
With the victory, APU moves to 1–0 on the season, while UCR continues its early nonconference schedule.