AZUSA, Calif. -- No. 1 Hawai'i Pacific University got a grueling three set victory from Torben Otto to beat No. 13 Azusa Pacific 5-4 in men's tennis action Thursday afternoon.
 
Otto, ranked 34th nationally in singles, outlasted APU 30th ranked Christian Schmid 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) at No. 2 singles to give the top-ranked Sharks (3-1) the win. APU (6-1) dropped its first match of the season.
 
The win capped a strong HPU comeback in the five-and-a-half-hour match by winning four of the six singles points after Azusa Pacific held a 2-1 lead after doubles.
 
The Sharks Jakub Hadrava beat 44th ranked Pascal Engel 7-5, 6-0 at No. 3 singles, while Filip Soban downed Marnix Pluim 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4 singles and Juan Erro downed APU's Antonio Pejic at No. 6, 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.
 
HPU also won the No. 3 doubles with Erro/Soban beating Pluim/Pejic 8-4.
 
HPU's No. 1 doubles team of Dolezel/Hadrava took the second-ranked doubles team in the country in APU's Oliver Frank/Engel to the brink before the Cougar duo won 9-8 with a 7-3 tiebreaker. The Cougars also won at No. 2 doubles as Schmid/Shepherd Newcomb edged HPU's Otto/Jack Lyttle 8-6.
 
APU's Frank, the No. 1 singles player in NCAA Division II, downed the Sharks 13th ranked Dolezel 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. At No. 4, Lyttle fell to APU's Newcomb 4-6, 4-6.
 
The Sharks continue their Southern California swing on Friday at No. 22 Point Loma in a match starting at 10 a.m. HST (Noon PST).