TENNIS — After defeating a doubles team from Sonoma State on Oct. 3 and earning the title of Intercollegiate Tennis Association West Region Doubles Champions, junior Armaun Emami and redshirt freshman Austin West advanced to the ITA National Small College Championship in Mobile, Ala. from Oct. 15 to Oct. 18.
The Triton duo emerged from the competition in fourth place after a strong showing on Oct. 15, but two losses the following day ended their run at an ITA national title.
In the championship’s opening match, Emami and West faced Midwestern State University’s Vjekoslav Stipanic and Bo Ziputovic in the quarterfinals. Stipanic and Ziputovic entered the match with a 10-1 record.
Undaunted by their opponent’s impressive record, Emami and West beat Stipanic and Ziputovic 7-6, 6-2 in a tough battle. After winning a gruelling first set with an 8-5 tiebreaker, the pair pulled away in the second set for an easy victory.
“It was a battle for that first set,” UCSD assistant coach Timmer Willing said. “After the tiebreaker win, they relaxed and settled in. We made a few adjustments to our strategy, and it took the other team out of their rhythm.”
West, in his first competitive season as a Triton, said he was happy with the dynamic between him and teammate Emami.
“It was the first time we’ve competed together in doubles, but I think our playing styles match up well,” West said. “We certainly complement each other.”
Emami finished No. 2 in the 2009 spring season with a 4-1 record. For most of the previous doubles season, he was paired with sophomore Chapman Chan, who is currently paired with redshirt junior Alex Placek.
On the tournament’s second day, Emami and West faced Francis Marion University’s Oshada Wijemanne and Dilshod Sharifi, the No. 2 seeded team in the championship. The opponent had trounced a team from Southern Indiana the previous day.
The game did not end well for Emami and West either, losing in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.
Following the difficult loss, Emami and West had the chance to salvage one last win at the ITA National Small College Championship with a match against Bloomsburg University’s Fernando Perez and Ricky Dove in the battle for third place.
However, 6-2 and 6-3 falls guaranteed the Triton duo a fourth-place finish at the championship.
“We’ll try to learn from our mistakes today,” West said. “It was a battle out there, and we need to figure out how to beat the better teams.”
UCSD’s last appearance at the ITA Championship was in 2007, when seniors Eric Rubens and Blake Meister clinched the doubles event.
The Tritons will participate in their next competition at the Southern California Intercollegiates in Los Angeles from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8. The five-day event will be the final competition of the Triton’s fall season before they take a break from competitive play until February.
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