2008 BIG WEST MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
(#1) UC SANTA BARBARA (4) vs. (#4) CAL POLY (1)
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2008
INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN • INDIAN WELLS, CALIF.
Top-seeded UC Santa Barbara continued its quest for a third consecutive men's tennis title as the Gauchos defeated Cal Poly, 4-1, in a Big West Men's Tennis Championship semifinal contest on Saturday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
This is the sixth time in the last seven years that the Gauchos have reached the championship match. UCSB previously captured tournament championships in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007. The Gauchos will play a familiar foe in Pacific at 9:00 a.m. Sunday for the title and the Big West automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The two teams met in the finals in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006, with UCSB winning three times and Pacific once.
It was a hard fought win for the Gauchos, who battled deep into pretty much every set in singles. UCSB took a 1-0 lead by capturing the all-important doubles point at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
Philip Therp added to the cushion with his 6-3, 6-4 triumph at No. 1 singles over Andy Gerst. At No. 6, Max Taylor gave the Gauchos a 3-0 edge as he dispatched of Blake Wardman, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Cal Poly got on the board with a win at No. 4, as Alexander Sonesson outlasted Alex Konigsfeldt by a 7-5, 7-5 score. However, UCSB clinched the match as Anders Dalskov returned the favor, winning 7-5, 7-5 as well against Rob Foy.
UC Santa Barbara betters its record to 14-9 while Cal Poly ends its season at 12-10.
MEN'S SEMIFINALS
DOUBLES
1. Young/Foy (CP) vs. Therp/Hejazi (UCSB) - DNF
2. Konigsfeldt/Finkelstein (UCSB) def. Gerst/Sonesson (CP) - 8-6
3. Hui/Dalskov (UCSB) def. Jacobs/Wardman (CP) - 8-4
Order of finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1. Philip Therp (UCSB) def. Andy Gerst (CP) - 6-3, 6-4
2. Darryn Young (CP) vs. Bijan Hejazi (UCSB) - DNF
3. Drew Jacobs (CP) vs. Jack Hui (UCSB) - DNF
4. Alexander Sonesson (CP) def. Alex Konigsfeldt (UCSB) - 7-5, 7-5
5. Anders Dalskov (UCSB) def. Rob Foy (CP) - 7-5, 7-5
6. Max Taylor (UCSB) def. Blake Wardman (CP) - 6-3, 7-6 (5)
Order of finish: 1, 6, 4, 5
2008 BIG WEST MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
(#3) PACIFIC (4) vs. (#2) UC IRVINE (3)
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2008
INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN • INDIAN WELLS, CALIF.
No. 3 seed Pacific held off a valiant comeback by No. 2 seed UC Irvine, earning a 4-3 victory in the semifinals of the Big West Men's Tennis Championship at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Saturday.
Down 3-0, the Anteaters staved off elimination with three consecutive singles wins at the No. 6, No. 2 and No. 5 positions. The match came down to a see-saw battle between Tiger freshman Artem Gramma and Anteater freshman Khunpol Issara. Issara won the first set 6-4. Gramma took the second set 6-3. The third set went to a tiebreaker, with Gramma pulling out a dramatic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory.
The Tigers rolled out to a 3-0 lead in the match after taking the doubles point and getting wins at No. 3 from Renan Delsin and No. 1 from Moritz Starke. UCI climbed back into the contest as Stephen Stege won at No. 6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 over Pacific's Austin Kakar, followed by a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-1 triumph at No. 2 by Victor Lamm. The Anteaters tied the match when Ryan Mayer won 7-6 (4), 6-2 at No. 5.
Gramma's win improved the Tigers to 11-11 on the year and puts Pacific in the championship for the seventh time in the last eight years. The Tigers claimed titles in 2001 and 2004. Pacific's opponent will be No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara, which knocked off No. 4 seed Cal Poly, 4-1, also earlier today.
UC Irvine fell to 11-14 with the loss.
MEN'S SEMIFINALS
DOUBLES
1. Starke/Delsin (PAC) def. Sundling/Tsai (UCI) - 8-2
2. Lamm/Ahluwalia (UCI) def. Gonzalez/Kakar (PAC) - 8-2
3. Gramma/Veskimagi (PAC) def. Dobson/Issara (UCI) - 8-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
SINGLES
1. Moritz Starke (PAC) def. Alex Sundling (UCI) - 6-1, 6-4
2. Victor Lamm (UCI) def. David Gonzalez (PAC) - 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-1
3. Renan Delsin (PAC) def. Trevor Dobson (UCI) - 6-3, 6-2
4. Artem Gramma (PAC) def. Khunpol Issara (UCI) - 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
5. Ryan Mayer (UCI) def. Vegerd Veskimagi (PAC) - 7-6 (4), 6-2
6. Stephen Stege (UCI) def. Austin Kakar (PAC) - 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 2, 5, 4