PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - The UC San Diego men's tennis team got off to a slow start Thursday at the Universal Tennis National Invitational Tennis Championship. After a tough battle, Liberty University took a swift 4-0 victory over the Tritons.
 
With the quarterfinal loss, UC San Diego is 7-19 overall. Liberty, which advances to the semifinal round, improved to15-10.
 
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Score: UC San Diego 0, Liberty 4
Team Records: UC San Diego 7-19; Liberty 15-10
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons were in for a difficult challenge against the Flames.
 
Liberty set the tone early on in doubles, a tone which UC San Diego struggled to respond to. No. 1 and No. 3 were brought to swift ends, earning the doubles point for the Flames.
 
In the singles matches, the Tritons were given an opportunity to rebound. William Lan fought hard at No. 2, sending his second set to a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, the Flames managed to overcome the Tritons' efforts, securing three more points with wins at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 to clinch the match.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
 
1. Josh Wilson / Christiaan Worst (Liberty) def. Daniel Traxler/ Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) 6-3
2. Deji Thomas-Smith / Luis Felipe Miguel(Liberty) vs. William Lan/ Phillip Lan (UCSD) 5-3, unf.
3. Zion Heaven / Thando Longwe-Smit (Liberty) def. Diogo Tinoco/ Joseph Teh (UCSD) 6-3
 
Order of Finish: 3, 1
 
Singles
 
1. Josh Wilson (Liberty) def. Daniel Traxler (UCSD) 6-4, 6-3
2. Christiaan Worst(Liberty) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD) 6-3, 7-6 [7]
3. Deji Thomas-Smith(Liberty) def. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) 6-2, 6-4
4. Thando Longwe-Smit(Liberty) vs. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) 3-2, unf.
5. Luis Felipe Miguel (Liberty) vs. Charles Qian (UCSD), did not play
6. Zion Heaven(Liberty) vs. Joseph Teh (UCSD) 1-0, unf.
 
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
 
A QUOTE FROM COACH TIMMER WILLING
"We needed to be mentally tougher than we were. That team was very good and did a nice job exposing some of our holes. I'm disappointed that Charles didn't get to play, but that's the nature of these tournaments, especially when the weather is involved."
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays its second and final match of the NIT Championships on Friday, May 19th, at 9 a.m. Pacific against The Citadel.
 
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 Conference 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 Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.