NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. --- The 60th-ranked 'Eaters welcomed Northern Arizona into Newport Beach Tennis Club only to sweep them out, 7-0, Sunday morning.
The courts were still feeling the effects of the rain that swept through Southern California the night before as No. 3 doubles were still waiting for their court to dry by the time UCI (5-8, 1-0) had taken set at both doubles 1 and 2 to claim the opening point.
A touch of weather graced the teams between doubles and singles delaying the match for nearly an hour.
Upon returning to the courts, NAU (2-6) and UCI jockeyed through the opening singles sets, but the Anteaters managed to skate through winning five of the six sets. Sweeps from Rafael Davidian and Shuhei Shibahara gave way to Tyler Pham at No. 4 singles to clinch the match, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
The 'Eaters swept for points five and six, and Sebastian Heim put up a valiant, comeback effort to take the third set tiebreaker at No. 1 singles and claim the seventh point for UCI.
The 'Eaters moved locales to square off with Boston College in the afternoon tilt of the doubleheader.
No. 60 UC IRVINE 7, NORTHERN ARIZONA 0
UCI (5-8, 1-0) | NAU (2-6)
March 1, 2015
Newport Beach Tennis Club
Doubles
1 Davidian/Poon (UCI) def. Gobatie/Locci (NAU) – 6-3
2 Hammel/Pham (UCI) def. Black/Zilberstein (NAU) – 6-2
3 Heim/Mertens (UCI) vs. Peleg/Schumann (NAU) – DNP (courts)
UC Irvine wins the doubles point
Singles
1 Sebastian Heim (UCI) def. Jordan Gobatie (NAU) – 5-7, 6-4, (11-9)
2 Nico Mertens (UCI) def. Eden Peleg (NAU) – 6-1, 6-3
3 Shuhei Shibahara (UCI) def. Kester Black (NAU) – 7-6 (4), 6-1
4 Tyler Pham (UCI) def. Alexandre Locci (NAU) – 6-4, 7-6 (6)
5 Rafael Davidian (UCI) def. Adi Zilberstein (NAU) – 6-1, 6-2
6 Jonathan Hammel (UCI) def. Felix Schumann (NAU) – 6-2, 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles – 2, 1 | Singles – 5, 3, 4, 6, 2, 1
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