SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara men's tennis team secured the doubles point for the third straight match and then posted five singles victories in a 6-1 win over the University of Hawai'i to open Big West Conference play on Sunday.
The Gauchos (3-3 overall, 1-0) claimed their third straight doubles point after going pointless in their first three matches. The Rainbow Warriors (2-2, 1-2) contested every match, but in the end it wasn't enough.
The first doubles match off the court was at No. 3, where Joseph Guillin and Kai Brady topped Tristan Martins and Simao Telo Alves, 7-5. At No. 1 doubles, Stefano Tsorotiotis and Alejandro Vedro edged Andre Llagan and Lucas Labrunie, 7-5, giving UCSB the point. The tandem of Victor Krustev and Joseph Rotheram made it a sweep with a tight 7-6 (6) win over Blaz Seric and Axel Labrunie.
"We are making progress in doubles," said head coach Marty Davis. "After the first few matches of the year we changed things up. We moved Stefano (Tsorotiotis) and Alejandro (Vedri) to No. 1, (Joseph) Rotheram and (Victor) Krustev to No. 2, and we paired Joe (Guillin) and Kai (Brady) at No. 3. It really seems to be working."
In terms of results, UCSB dominated singles, but it wasn't that easy.
At No. 1, Guillin needed three sets to beat Llagan, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
"They (UH) were serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set," Davis said. "Joe (Guillin) got off the hook and turned it around. It was a good win."
The first singles match off the court was Vedri's sweep of Alves, 6-4, 6-2, giving the Gauchos a 2-0 lead. At No. 4, Masjuan lost the first set, but powered through to claim the next two, giving his team a 3-0 edge. The final was 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Axel Labrunie. Tsorotiotis gave Santa Barbara the match win with a tough 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Seric at No. 2.
"This was a much closer match than the 6-1 score would tell you," Davis said. "They (UH) took three first sets and really put us on our heels. But we had it in us to fight back, and we're happy to get our first conference win."
UCSB's final point came from Krustev at No. 3. He defeated Lucas Labrunie, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 10-4.
The Gauchos' only defeat came at No. 6, where Brady, stepping in for Rotheram, fell 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 to Martins.
"It's good to open conference play with a win," Davis said. "We were hoping to send a message to the league. They lost 5-2 at Cal Poly, so we've got some work to do."
UCSB will continue conference play on Sunday, April 4 when it travels to UC Davis for a noon match. The Gauchos will be on the road for their next three matches, also traveling to UC San Diego (April 10) and UC Irvine (April 11), before returning home for matches against UC Riverside (April 16) and Cal Poly (April 17).
Tennis Match Results
Hawaii vs UC Santa Barbara
Mar 28, 2021 at Santa Barbara, Calif.
(Recreation Center Courts)
UC Santa Barbara 6, Hawaii 1
Singles competition
1. Guillin, Joseph (UCSB) def. Andre Ilagan (UH) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
2. Tsorotiotis, Stefano (UCSB) def. Blaz Seric (UH) 3-6, 7-6 (5-0), 6-4
3. Krustev, Victor (UCSB) def. Lucas Labrunie (UH) 7-5, 6-7, 10-4
4. Masjuan, Pablo (UCSB) def. Axel Labrunie (UH) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Vedri, Alejandro (UCSB) def. Simao Telo Alves (UH) 6-4, 6-2
6. Tristan Martins (UH) def. Brady, Kai (UCSB) 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Tsorotiotis, Stefano/Vedri, Alejandro (UCSB) def. Andre Ilagan/Lucas Labrunie (UH) 7-5
2. Krustev, Victor/Rotheram, Joseph (UCSB) def. Blaz Seric/Axel Labrunie (UH) 7-6 (6-0)
3. Guillin, Joseph/Brady, Kai (UCSB) def. Tristan Martins/Simao Telo Alves (UH) 7-5
Match Notes:
Hawaii 2-2 (1-2)
UC Santa Barbara 3-3 (1-0)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,4,2,6,1,3)
T-2:40
