INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The fourth-seeded UC Irvine men's tennis team defeated No. 5 seed Hawai'i, 4-0, in the first round of the Big West Tournament Thursday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The Anteaters (16-11) advance to the semifinals for the fourth year in a row, and will take on top-seeded UC Santa Barbara Friday at 3 p.m. The Rainbow Wahine (3-15) saw their season come to an end.
"We competed with resilience today and that made the difference," said head coach
Mike Saunders. "Luca (Marquard) and Mason (Hansen) led the way. They gave away their wary break in the doubles but kept their composure and resolve, adjusted their game plan and raised their level to clinch the doubles."
UCI took the early 1-0 lead, winning at No. 3 and No. 2 doubles. At the second spot,
Luca Marquard and
Mason Hansen took down Aleksa Lazarevic/Fabian Woehrl, 6-4, before
Daniel Gealer and
Luis Lopez clinched the point with 6-4 triumph at No. 3.
Bruce Man-Son-Hing and
Vatsal Bajpai were in a battle, 5-6, with Felix Albert/Blaz Seric when the match was called.
"Mason really clutched out. He found himself in a similar position in doubles; was in a position to close out the match and gave away a break and lost the momentum. This situation would have rattled him last year. He has grown so much mentally. He stayed focused by having a clear plan and playing one point at a time. And raised his level in the breaker to close out the match," said Saunders.
The Anteaters carried the momentum into singles as Marquard dispatched Albert, 6-2, 6-4, at the No. 2 position. Gealer also made quick work of Lazarevic at No. 4 with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Hansen then delivered the final blow to the 'Bows on court five, upending Woehrl, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2). The win marked Hansen's fifth-straight dual-match victory.
"Luca played sensational in the singles. He had to face Felix (Albert) whom he lost to last season. Luca played with a clear game and executed with precision. He played with conviction and courage. It was a joy to watch," added Saunders.
All three matches that went unfinished were in the third set. At the top spot, Lopez dropped the first set, 7-5, before taking the second, 7-6 (7-5), when the match was called.
Sasha Krasnov trailed Luca LaBrunie, 6-2, 6-4, 2-1, at No. 3 and
Vatsal Bajpai was down, 2-6, 6-4, 4-2, on court six.
The 'Eaters continue Big West Tournament action tomorrow as they take on top-seeded UC Santa Barbara at 3 p.m. If UCI wins, it will move on to Sunday's 9 a.m. championship match.
