MEN’S TENNIS ‘mdash; The men’s tennis team took a break from its regular schedule over the weekend by participating in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship in La Jolla, one of tennis’ most prestigious tournaments. Established in 1890, it is the second oldest tennis event in the U.S., with legends such as Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Arthur Ashe taking part in the past.
‘This is definitely the biggest event our team gets a chance to take part of,’ senior Kazumi Negishi said. ‘It’s always fun to get a chance to take a break from our team season and play in a tournament as individuals.’
Even head coach Eric Steidlmayer had the opportunity to compete, teaming up with former Triton tennis player Michael Meyer.’
In the first round, Steidlmayer and Meyer were taken down 6-2, 2-6, 5-7 by the eighth-seeded team after dominating the first set.
‘To take a set off one of the top teams in the draw was definitely unexpected,’ Steidlmayer said.
In other first-round matches, sophomore Amaun Emami and freshman Chapman Chan were taken down by Miguel Garcia and Adiran Pena of Chula Vista 6-4, 6-2. The freshman team of Jake Fellow and Williams McCall also fell in two sets to Greg Failla, a former Association of Tennis Professionals tour player, and Duke Miller 6-2, 6-1.
As UCSD’s only seeded players, Negishi and sophomore Erik Elliot received a bye, advancing straight into the second round. Facing Brett Tobin and John Magliano of Villanova, the Tritons’ top doubles team routed their opponents 6-0, 6-0, assuring at least one UCSD win. With 32 teams left, the ninth-seeded team drew its first legitimate opponent in the third round, the sixth-seeded Charles Hoeveler and ex-Triton tennis player Bijan Moallemi. Elliot and Negishi were overmatched in the contest, falling 6-2, 6-1.
Riding a four-game losing streak, the Tritons returned to their regular schedule on the road against Cal Poly Pomona on Wednesday. Last week, UCSD dropped a pair of home games against west regional opponent Hawaii Pacific University and Division-I Boston College.
Readers can contact Neil Joshi at [email protected].