SURPRISE, Ariz. — No. 9 Azusa Pacific men's tennis survived and advanced Wednesday afternoon, defeating No. 8 University of Indianapolis 4-3 in a thrilling NCAA Division II Championships Sweet Sixteen battle at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club.
In a match that lasted more than four and a half hours, the Cougars leaned on grit, resilience, and clutch performances to punch their ticket into the national quarterfinals.
It grabbed early momentum in doubles after dropping the opening court. David James Brownlee and Viktor Van Craenenbroeck responded with a strong 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles before Joan Crespo and Christopher Marci clinched the doubles point with a gritty 7-5 victory at No. 3.
Order of finish (doubles): 1, 2, 3
Singles quickly turned into a heavyweight battle.
University of Indianapolis evened the score with wins at Nos. 2 and 6 singles, but No. 26 Soeren Grandke answered with a dominant 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 22 Asier Ayllon Prado at the top court to keep the Cougars level.
After the Greyhounds regained the lead with a win at No. 3 singles, Joan Crespo delivered one of the turning points of the afternoon. Following a heartbreaking second-set tiebreak loss, the senior responded emphatically in the third set, rolling to a 6-0 finish to even the dual match at 3-3.
That left everything riding on court four.
In the final match standing, Ben Behrend battled University of Indianapolis' Jovan Matovic in a marathon showdown that stretched three hours and 26 minutes. Behrend captured the opening set in a tiebreak before narrowly dropping the second in another breaker.
With both teams gathered courtside and a trip to the Elite Eight hanging in the balance, Behrend dug deep one final time, closing out a gritty 7-5 third set to send the Cougars into the next round.
Order of finish (singles): 2, 6, 3, 1, 5, 4
