AZUSA, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University freshman Nicole Ballach won both tie breakers in her singles match to push No. 4 HPU to a 4-3 win over No. 13 Azusa Pacific to open the season for both teams on Wednesday at the Muson & Bavougian Tennis Complex.
 
Ballach, a freshman from Waldroel, Germany, defeated Audrey Stewart at No. 6 Singles 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) for the winning team point in the match that was knotted at 3-all.
 
In the first match of the season played under the new format with doubles counting as a single point, the Sharks prevailed with an upset and a tiebreaker. HPU No. 1 team of Elisa Elhadj of Basel, Switzerland and Elodie Busson of Poille Sur Vegre, France took down 19th ranked Jacky Wagner and Kera Hinton 6-4. The Sharks got the point when the No. 3 duo of Sarah Ikioka of Wailuku, Hawai'i and Heloise Le Normand of Matignon, France outlasted Petra Ivankovic and Stewart 7-6 (7-1). APU had claimed No. 2 doubles spot with April Wong and Anna Savchenko defeating HPU's Mihoki Miyahara of Tosu City, Japan and Ballach 6-1.
 
In singles action Miyahara ripped 41st ranked Hinton at the No. 2 position 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), and Busson won at No. 3 singles of Savchenko in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
 
APU claimed the other three singles positions, with 27th ranked Ivankovic beating Elhadj in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 1 spot. Wagner won at No. 4 over Shark Debora Echeverria of Santiago, Chile 6-3, 6-0, and Wong claimed No. 5 with a three-set 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 win over HPU's Ikioka.
 
The match, originally scheduled for Monday, was the only one played by HPU on its trip to the mainland. Rainy weather in Southern California forced cancellations against Cal State-LA and Point Loma.
 
The Sharks will return to the court on next Saturday, Feb. 17 when they visit the Big Island for a weekend round-robin classic at Kailua-Kona. HPU faces Holy Names in a match that is slated to start at 11 a.m. at the Holua Tennis Center.