Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
Pepperdine University
No.20 Florida State Suffers Setback to No. 22 Pepperdine in ITA Kickoff Weekend Opener
1/24/2026 3:51:00 PM | Men's Tennis
TALLAHASEE – The No. 20 Florida State men's tennis team (5-2) dropped its first match of the ITA Kickoff weekend to No.22 Pepperdine (2-0) on Saturday. The Seminoles will wait to see who their opponent will be in the consolation match on Sunday, January 25.
In doubles play against the Waves, the ranked duo of Luis Felipe Miguel and Erik Schiessl scored a quick 6-3 victory over Maxi Homberg and Edward Winter. The Seminoles pairing on both courts one and two put up a strong fight, but Pepperdine's Aleska Pisarek and Lasse Poertner prevailed over Mohammad Alkotop and Azariash Rusher to secure a point for the Waves.
The squad ran into trouble in singles play, dropping matches on courts one, three, and six. Miguel earned the lone singles win with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Homberg on court two. On court three, Schiessl pushed Lasse Poertner to a first-set tiebreak but fell 7–6 (6) in the opener before dropping the match 7-6 (6), 6-2. Corey Craig was defeated by Edward Winters in straight sets on court one, 7-5, 6–3.
Gabriele Brancatelli got off to a hot start on court six, taking the first set before David Fix answered in the second set, forcing a three-set battle, but ultimately fell 6-3, 6-2.
On court four, Rusher took the opening set 6-4 before Pisaric responded with a 7-5 second set to force a third, but the match was ruled unfinished. Alkotop battled through a first-set tiebreak to defeat Gustavo Almeida 7–6, while Almeida answered with a 6-2 second set. Alkotop was serving in the third when play was halted, as court six clinched the final point.
Match Results
Florida State 1, Pepperdine 4
Singles Competition:
1. #88Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Corey Craig (FSU), 7-5, 6-3
2. #69 Luis Felipe Miguel (FSU) def. Maxi Homberg (PEPP), 6-2, 6-1
3. Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. #50 Erik Schiessl (FSU), 7-6 (7–5), 6-3
4. #43 Azariah Rusher (FSU) vs. #61Aleksa Pisaric (PEPP) 6-4, 7-5, 3-1 unfinished
5. Mohammad Alkotop (FSU) vs. Gustavo Almeida (PEPP) 7–6 2–6, 5-4, unfinished
6. David Fix (PEPP) def. Gabriele Brancatelli (FSU), 3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Doubles Competition:
1. Maxi Homberg/Edward Winter (Pepperdine) def. #43 Erik Schiessl/Luis Felipe Miguel (FSU) 6-3
2. #53 Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (Pepperdine) def. #82 Mohammad Alkotop/Azariah Rusher (FSU) 6-3
3. David Fix/Gustavo Almeida (Pepperdine) def. Gabrielle Brancatelli/Jan Sebesta (FSU) 6-2
Florida State (5-2) | Pepperdine (2-0)
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (2, 3, 1, 6)
For more information on the Florida State men's tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at Florida State Men's Tennis (FB) and FSUMTennis (IG and X).
Players Mentioned
