Cal Poly and UC Irvine were victorious in their semifinal matchups of the Big West Men's Tennis Tournament Saturday in Indian Wells. The two teams will meet in the championship for the first time on Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
UC Irvine Knocks Off Pacific, 4-1
UC Irvine defeated Pacific by a 4-1 score in a men's semifinal match Saturday afternoon.
The No. 3 seeded Anteaters collected the doubles point for an early 1-0 lead. UCI's Sam Gould and Khunpol Issara defeated Renan Delsin and Fernando Ristow by an 8-6 score to clinch the point at No. 3.
UCI quickly picked up two additional points in singles to take a 3-0 lead. Steven Henderson toppled Vegerd Veskimagi 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 singles, followed by Khunpol Issara's 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Karl Paaro at No. 6.
No. 2 seed Pacific tried to get back into the hunt, picking up a win in No. 1 singles when Artem Gramma won his match against Fabian Matthews. Gramma was leading 7-6 (1), 5-3 when Matthews retired.
However, the Anteaters squashed any hope of a Tiger comeback with the performance of No. 2 player Sam Gould. He outlasted Pacific's Ivan Castro in three sets, earning a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory to collect the fourth and deciding point of the match.
The Tigers led in the two remaining matches but those did not finish when the match was completed. They concluded their season at 9-12.
UCI, now 16-11 on the season, makes its second straight trip to the conference tournament final. The Anteaters are looking to win their first championship since 2005.
Big West Tennis Championships
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Men's Semifinals
UC IRVINE (4), PACIFIC (1)
Doubles
1. Tsai/Henderson (UCI) def. Gramma/Castro (PAC) - 8-4
2. Veskimagi/Paaro (PAC) vs. Kazarian/Northcott (UCI) - DNF
3. Gould/Issara (UCI) def. Delsin/Ristow (PAC) - 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 3
Singles
1. Artem Gramma (PAC) def. Fabian Matthews (UCI) - 7-6 (1), 5-3 ret.
2. Sam Gould (UCI) def. Ivan Castro (PAC) - 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
3. Fernando Ristow (PAC) vs. Zac Tsai (UCI) - DNF
4. Renan Delsin (PAC) vs. Shimpei Suzuki (UCI) - DNF
5. Steven Henderson (UCI) def. Vegerd Veskimagi (PAC) - 6-1, 6-2
6. Khunpol Issara (UCI) def. Karl Paaro (PAC) - 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 1, 2
Cal Poly Squeaks By UC Santa Barbara In 4-3 Thriller
Cal Poly overcame a 2-0 deficit and won four of the final five singles contests to cement a 4-3 victory over UC Santa Barbara in a semifinal showdown Saturday.
The Mustangs advance to their first Big West Tournament final since 2007 and aim to win their first title. The top-seeded Mustangs improved to 9-13 with the victory.
UCSB (14-11) saw its streak of four consecutive tournament titles at Indian Wells Tennis Garden end with the defeat. The Gauchos also had an 11-match winning streak at Indian Wells dating back to 2005 snapped.
Brian McPhee clinched the match for Cal Poly at No. 5 singles. He came back from a one-set deficit to squeeze past Mathieu Forget 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. McPhee's win completed an exhausting effort and a match which lasted over four hours.
The Mustangs started their comeback from the 2-0 hole at opposite ends of the lineup. Senior Rob Foy beat Scott Hohenstein 6-1, 6-4 to grab Cal Poly's first point. Freshman Jordan Bridge then pulled Cal Poly even with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Philip Therp at No. 1. It was one of four singles matches that went to a third set.
Alex Sonesson gave CP its first lead at 3-2 when, like McPhee, he overcame a first set deficit. Sonesson notched a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win against Lucas Sudow.
With UCSB reeling, freshman Benjamin Recknagel restored some order, albeit temporarily, as he knocked off Cal Poly counterpart Matt Fawcett 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-1. That set up the heroics from McPhee at his No. 5 position.
Cal Poly, which plays UC Irvine for the title on Sunday at 9:00 a.m., has never met the Anteaters in the title match.
Big West Tennis Championships
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Men's Semifinals
CAL POLY (4), UC SANTA BARBARA (3)
Doubles
1. Konigsfeldt/Chavez-Goggin (UCSB) def. Bridge/Sonesson (CP) - 8-6
2. Sudow/Recknagel (UCSB) def. Fawcett/Foy (CP) - 8-4
3. Wardman/McPhee (CP) def. Hohenstein/Jurgensen (UCSB) - 8-6
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. Jordan Bridge (CP) def. Philip Therp (UCSB) - 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
2. Benjamin Recknagel (UCSB) def. Matt Fawcett (CP) - 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-1
3. Alex Konigsfeldt (UCSB) def. Drew Jacobs (CP) - 6-3, 6-0
4. Alex Sonesson (CP) def. Lucas Sudow (UCSB) - 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Brian McPhee (CP) def. Mathieu Forget (UCSB) - 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
6. Rob Foy (CP) def. Scott Hohenstein (UCSB) - 6-1, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 1, 4, 2, 5