LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's tennis team opened their season with two tough battles facing visiting Nevada and Arkansas on Friday afternoon in a pair of non-conference match-ups at Northview Tennis Courts. The Tritons took match one against the Wolf Pack, 4-3, but fell to a 37th ranked Arkansas team, 4-1, in the nightcap.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Match 1: UC San Diego 4, Nevada 3
Final Match 2: UC San Diego 1, Arkansas 4
Records: UC San Diego 1-1 ; Arkansas 3-0 ; Nevada 0-2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons had a great start to doubles action in Match 1, clinching a 6-4 win by junior Eric Silberman and freshman Diogo Tinoco. They went on to face a tough battle at Nos. 2 and 1 with opponents Matheo Coupu and Pedro Liboriok, defeating Daniel Traxler and William Lan, 6-4. Loris Zisswiller and Satchel Benn followed that with a 6-2 win over Sophomore Pelayo Rodriguez and Senior Phillip Lan.
 
In singles play, both teams competed in an intense showdown with Nevada wins at Nos. 2 and 4, but UC San Diego's Charles Qian secured the Triton win at No. 6 with a very close last set of 6-4.
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After an extended match against the Wolf Pack, the Tritons were off to a rocky start in match 2 against a talented Arkansas team that took the doubles point, 2-0. The Tritons were not able to come back in singles action, falling short at Nos. 1, 2, and 5. To end a good day of play for Charles Qian, he clinched a 6-4 and 6-2 win against Razorbacks' junior Jakob Mosvold.
 
RESULTS
Doubles; Match 1 vs. Nevada
1. Matheo Coupu/Pedro Liborio (NV) def. Daniel Traxler/William Lan (UCSD), 6-4
2. Loris Zisswiller/Satchel Benn (NV)  def. Pelayo Rodriguez/Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-2
3. Eric Silberman/Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) def. Yousseff Kadiri/Juan Batalla (NV), 6-4
 
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
 
Singles; Match 1 vs. Nevada
1. Daniel Traxler (UCSD) def. Delmas N'Tcha (NV), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
2. Pedro Liborio (NV) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-4, 6-4
3. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) def. Matheo Coupu (NV) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Yousseff Kadiri (NV) def. Jett Cole (UCSD) 7-6, 4-6, 6-3
5. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Satchel Benn (NV) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Charles Qian (UCSD) def. Juan Batalla (NV) 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
 
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6
 
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Doubles; Match 2 vs. Arkansas
1. Adrien Burdet/Alan Sau Franco (ARKM) vs. Daniel Traxler/William Lan (UCSD), 5-2, dnf
2. Gerard Planelles/Jakob Mosvold (ARKM) def. Pelayo Rodriguez/Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-1
3. Melvin Manuel/Foster Rogers (ARKM) def. Eric Silberman/Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 6-3
 
Order of finish: 2,3
 
Singles; Match 2 vs. Arkansas
1. Stefanos Scovva (ARKM) def. Daniel Traxler (UCSD), 6-0, 6-0
2. Adrien Burdet (ARKM) vs. Phillip Lan (UCSD), 6-2, 5-7, dnf
3. Melvin Manuel (ARKM) def. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD), 6-1, 7-6
4. Alan Sau Franco (ARKM) vs. Jett Cole (UCSD), 6-4, 5-5, dnf
5. Gerard Planelles (ARKM) def. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD), 6-2, 6-1
6. Charles Qian (UCSD) def. Jakob Mosvold (ARKM), 6-3, 6-2
 
Order of finish: 1, 6, 5, 3
 
QUOTABLE
Regarding match 1 against Nevada, UC San Diego head coach Timmer Willing said, "Reno is a good team, who won their conference last year, but we came out and kept competing long enough to get a chance to steal it in the end with Charles Qian".
 
After a challenging match up with Arkansas, Willing said, "we know that's a solid SEC team. Our job was to come in and compete the whole time, leave this team thinking we have fight and we are going to be good in the future."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Friday marked the first ever meeting between UC San Diego and Arkansas.
• Match 2 against Arkansas was delayed until 6:30pm instead of 4:30pm due to a long Nevada match.
• Friday was the Triton's first match of the 2022-23 season on their home turf of the Northview Tennis Courts.
• Sophomore Charles Qian won both his singles against Nevada and Arkansas on Friday, clinching a big win in match 1.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up its opening weekend with a second showdown against Nevada at Northview Tennis Courts. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. on January 15.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.