MEN’S TENNIS ‘mdash; Led by head coach Eric Steidlmayer, the men’s tennis team kicked off the season against California Baptist University at home on Feb. 2. Since UCSD’s best players took part in two individual fall tournaments, the Tritons spent the offseason getting in ideal form for the business end of their campaign.
The match served as a prelude to a packed, four-game week for the Tritons, who will be hosting three of those encounters.
‘I think the entire team was really fired up to finally get things going after such a long break,’ senior and No. 1 singles player Kazumi Negishi said. ‘Three months without playing competitive matches is a long time, and our team was really anxious to get some matches under their belt.’
Eagerly anticipating the start of team play since the Southern California Intercollegiate Tournament in November, the Tritons were taken down a notch by the visiting Lancers of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, who overpowered the Tritons 6-3.
‘In our first match, we performed like any rookie might,’ Steidlmayer said. ‘We’re an extremely young team that is still trying to gain some experience in big matches.
Several players played with nerves and it showed in their performance. Cal Baptist is a top 10 team in the NAIA, and each player will have to improve if they want to hang at this level and beat those kind of teams.’
UCSD started the afternoon with singles play but only managed to grab two out of six matches, falling into an early 4-2 hole. At No. 1 singles, Negishi took part in the day’s most exciting match, battling Cal Baptist’s junior No. 1 singles player Alessandro Ventre in an entertaining three-set nail biter. After losing the first set 6-1, Negishi shrugged off his struggles, finding his game by dictating the point earlier in the rally. He and Ventre matched each other blow for blow over the next two hours to go the distance. Negishi, one of two Triton seniors, conjured up a few incredible shots to win the second set 6-4 and level the match. In the decisive set, it was more of the same as Negishi and Ventre battled hard back and forth. However, it was Ventre who capitalized on the last break of serve, helping him secure a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win to give the Lancers an early 1-0 lead.
‘Even though I lost the match, I felt pretty great about the way I played,’ Negishi said. ‘[Ventre] is one of the toughest players I will have to encounter this season, and my success against him makes me feel like I can lead this team in my first year as being the No. 1 player. Early on, I could tell that I wasn’t being aggressive enough, and in the second set I started hitting my forehand with more authority. That small little adjustment helped me play one of the best matches I’ve had here at UCSD.’
Ventre’s teammates at the seco
nd, third and fifth singles followed his lead, capturing victories for Cal Baptist. In No. 2 singles, sophomore Carlos Cirne-Lima put together the day’s most dominant performance, crushing freshman Chapman Chan 6-0, 6-1. Lima and Ventre formed a tough one-two punch at the top of Cal Baptist’s ladder, combining to post a 31-11 record in singles last season. Freshman Lucas Pereira, who hails from Brazil, had a successful debut for Cal Baptist, defeating junior Vince Nguyen 6-0, 6-3 at number three singles. The Lancers’ final win in singles came from freshman No. 5 Oliver Andrzjczuk, who beat UCSD freshman Sam Ling 6-1, 6-1.
Sophomore No. 4 Naveen Dixit and freshman No. 6 Eric Mendonsa managed to secure two victories, playing in their first singles matches for UCSD. Dixit took care of Hungarian freshman, No. 4 Gabor Toth 6-3, 6-4 while Mendonsa used his all-around game, especially in the second set, to overwhelm freshman sixth seed Andy Botsch 6-4, 6-0.
‘We are trying to incorporate a number of new guys into our ladder,’ Steidlmayer said. ‘It’s important for these guys to get the necessary match preparation and start developing the belief that they can contend at this level.’
Faced with having to win all three doubles matches to secure the tie, the Tritons turned their play up a notch. Sophomore Erik Elliott and Negishi closed UCSD’s deficit to 4-3 when they captured the No. 2 doubles match 8-6 over the freshman tandem of Pereira and Oliver. The No. 3 doubles match added even more drama, but the Triton duo of senior Ramesh Thondapu and freshman Williams McCall couldn’t hold off freshmen Sebastian Gruber and Toth, falling in a tight 9-7 defeat. The final 6-3 margin was confirmed when Cal Baptist’s top doubles team of Ventre and Cirne-Lima topped sophomore Armaun Emami and Chan 8-5.
‘Our guys really need a higher percentage of returns made, a better understanding of offensive opportunities, and more positivity in doubles,’ Steidlmayer said.
The Tritons continue their busy week, with home tilts against Hope International Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and a matinee against Azusa Pacific on Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
Readers can contact Neil Joshi at [email protected].