SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team had four players in action on the first day of the Aztec Fall Invitational Friday in San Diego.
 
Senior Mason Hansen, junior Vatsal Bajpai, junior transfer Sasha Krasnov and sophomore Bruce Man-Son-Hing were all competing in their first tournament of the season.
 
The day started with doubles, where Bajpai and Man-Son-Hing defeated Chase Burton/Sebastian Mermersky of Liberty, 7-6 (3), in Flight 1. The Anteater duo reunited for their eighth-straight victory dating back to last year as they closed out the 2016-17 campaign on a seven-match win streak.
 
UCI's newly formed partnership of Hansen and Krasnov dropped a tough first-round match to host San Diego State's Raul De La Torre/Rafa Gonzalez Almazan, 7-6 (3), in Flight 2.
 
In the top flight of singles, Bajpai suffered a narrow 7-5, 6-4 setback to Burton, while Hansen also came up short against the Aztecs' Sanders Gjoels Andersen, 7-5, 6-2.
 
In the second flight, Krasnov earned his first win as an Anteater, taking down Alex Poynter of Liberty, 7-5, 6-3. He then fell to San Diego's Garrett Kurtz, 6-2, 6-3. Man-Son-Hing also went 1-1, dropping his first match before bouncing back with a 6-7 (3), 7-5, 10-6 victory over Nick Mitchell (SDSU) in the consolation draw.
 
The Aztec Fall Invitational will resume on Saturday, Oct. 7, with two rounds of doubles and one round of singles starting at 9 a.m.
 
Aztec Fall Invitational
Aztec Tennis Center - San Diego, Calif.
Friday, Oct. 6, 2017 - Day 1
 
Flight 1 Singles
Round of 32
Chase Burton (Liberty) def. Vatsal Bajpai (UCI), 7-5, 6-4
Sander Gjoels Andersen (SDSU) def. Mason Hansen (UCI), 7-5, 6-2
 
Flight 2 Singles
Round of 16
Sasha Krasnov (UCI) def. Alex Poynter (Liberty), 7-5, 6-3
Gregoire Balenci (GCU) def. Bruce Man-Son-Hing (UCI), 6-2, 6-3
 
Quarterfinals
Garrett Kurtz (USD) def. Sasha Krasnov (UCI), 6-2, 6-3
 
Consolation Quarterfinals
Bruce Man-Son-Hing (UCI) def. Nick Mitchell (SDSU), 6-7 (3), 7-5, 10-6
 
Flight 1 Doubles
Round of 16
Bajpai/Man-Son-Hing (UCI) def. Burton/Mermersky (Liberty), 7-6 (3)
 
Flight 2 Doubles
Quarterfinals
R. De La Torre/Almazan (SDSU) def. Hanson/Krasnov (UCI), 7-6 (3)