Sept. 23, 2011
ST. HELENA, Calif. - The California men's tennis team earned three singles victories and added a win in doubles at the conclusion of the first day of the 2011 Land Rover Napa Valley Tennis Classic at the Meadowood Resort on Fri., Sept. 23. USTA junior players went 5-3 in singles matches, but Cal had the distinction as one of two collegiate squads to post a 3-1 mark after day one. UCLA was the other team.
Senior Ahmed Ismail replaced No. 26-ranked junior Carlos Cueto in Cal's lineup and impressed with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Tulsa's Grant Ive to open up the day. No. 45-ranked senior Nick Andrews and sophomore Ben McLachlan each earned wins over USTA juniors. Andrews took out JC Aragone, 6-2, 7-5, and McLachlan mounted a comeback to give the Golden Bears a third win as he defeated Luca Corinteli, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
In Cal's only other collegian-versus-collegian match, No. 79-ranked junior Christoffer Konigsfeldt was edged by UCLA's Warren Hardie, 7-5, 6-4, in the late afternoon. Andrews and McLachlan teamed up to earn a win in doubles as the two posted an 8-5 score against Tennessee's Brandon Fickey and Ed Jones.
Play continues on Sat., Sept. 24. Following a morning Pro-Am exhibition, singles matches begin at 10:30 a.m. PT as Ismail takes on No. 28 Casey Watt of Notre Dame. Andrews will draw Jones of Tennessee, and McLachlan will lock up with No. 44-ranked Ashley Watling of Tulsa. Konigsfeldt drew the afternoon straw, again, and will face Hunter Reese of Tennessee at 3 p.m. PT.
EVENT FORMAT: Each school is represented by four players to compete alongside the eight juniors, and the 32-man field is split into eight pools featuring three collegians and a junior. Following three matches in pool play, the eight pool winners will compete in a single-elimination, 10-point tiebreak tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive a USTA-sponsored wild card into a USTA Pro Circuit event that is yet to be determined.
2011 Land Rover Napa Valley Tennis Classic
Meadowood Resort | St. Helena, Calif.
Friday, Sept. 23, 2011
Singles
Ahmed Ismail (CAL) def. Grant Ive (TUL), 6-4, 6-4
No. 45 Nick Andrews (CAL) def. JC Aragone (USTA), 6-2, 7-5
Ben McLachlan (CAL) def. Luca Corinteli (USTA), 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Warren Hardie (UCLA) def. No. 79 Christoffer Konigsfeldt(CAL), 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
Andrews/B. McLachlan (CAL) def. Fickey/Jones (TENN), 8-5
