No. 6 seed UC San Diego men’s tennis (10-16, 1-5 Big West) opened the Big West Championship with a commanding 4-0 victory over No. 7 seed UC Riverside (2-22, 0-6 Big West) on April 22. After securing the doubles point with wins from their No. 2 and No. 3 pairs, the Tritons carried their momentum into singles play. Dominant performances from graduate student Yaron Guberman and freshmen Abhinav and Prathinav Chunduru pushed UCSD into the next round, where it fell 4-0 to Cal Poly (15-9, 5-1 Big West) on Thursday.
UCSD’s doubles matches against UCR opened with a convincing win from the No. 2 pair, Prathinav Chunduru and freshman Andrew Beceiro, decisively defeating UCR 6-1. The Tritons were composed from the start, controlling rallies with steadier returns and cleaner positioning at the net. On the other hand, UCR struggled to settle into the match. Beceiro and Prathinav Chunduru kept the pressure on, turning the frame into a quick and controlled win.
The decisive result of the doubles matches came from the No. 3 duo Guberman and graduate student Oliver Worth, who fought past the Highlanders 6-4. The wind forced both pairs to adjust and extend points from the backcourt. Guberman and Worth played aggressively, finishing volleys and sharp shots while staying patient enough to return from deep. Their balanced approach closed out the match as a deep shot from Worth led to a UCR mistake, and UCSD took an early 1-0 lead.
No. 1 doubles pair Abhinav Chunduru and freshman Trevor Nguyen held a narrow 6-5 lead in the first set before the match went unfinished. Both sides traded momentum throughout the set, but neither pair was able to fully separate. A windy afternoon made clean shotmaking difficult as several aggressive swings went long while other attempts clipped or barely missed the net. Still, UCSD gained a slight edge late in a strong service game, pulling ahead 6-5 before the No. 2 and No. 3 pairs clinched the doubles point for the Tritons.
UCSD’s domination continued into the singles matches. Worth, who joined the Tritons after a successful stint at Brown, played the most entertaining match. After finding himself down 4-1 in the first set, Worth rallied back, winning three games in a row to tie up the set 5-5. The graduate student’s stellar play at the net was the highlight of the set as he aggressively gained back the ground he had lost. However, after such a concerted effort, Worth did not have much left in the tank. His opponent was able to win back-to-back games, taking the set 7-5.
But Worth’s fight in the first set swung the momentum in his favor. During the next game, he blasted out in front, continuing his dominant play. The second set was over quickly as Worth tipped the score 6-2, forcing the match to a tie-breaking third set.
The two were ultimately unable to determine a victor, as UCSD had already won three other matches, winning the head-to-head matchup overall.
Guberman was the first Triton to take a singles match as he cruised his way through the opening game 6-2, then followed it up with a flawless 6-0 victory. Abhinav Chunduru was next as he nearly matched Guberman, winning his match 6-2, 6-1. His brother, Prathinav Chunduru, started off his match 6-2, but had to battle to win the second set 9-7 and advance UCSD to the next round.
On Thursday, UCSD fell 4-0 to Cal Poly and was eliminated from Big West Championship contention. UC Santa Barbara ultimately raised the trophy, defeating UC Irvine on April 25.
The Tritons’ second-round exit was a bit of a disappointment after they defeated the Mustangs during last year’s tournament. No. 4 seed UCSD eventually fell to No. 1 seed UCSB in the semifinals.
