Jan. 30, 2010

STOCKTON, Calif. - Three come-from-behind singles wins, including the clinching victory from freshman Connor Choates at No. 6, helped the UC Davis men's tennis team upset host No. 71 Pacific 4-3 on Saturday afternoon in a Big West matchup in Stockton.

The Aggies improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference while the Tigers dropped to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big West.

UC Davis picked up the victory in dramatic fashion after dropping two doubles matches to trail 1-0 heading into singles. However, victories by Chris Aria at No. 2, Toki Sherbakov at No. 3, Tyler Lee at No. 5 and Choates sparked the victory.

Lee lost just five games in his straight-set win over Karl-Erik Paaro while the three other Aggie wins required three sets. Aria and Ivan Garcia-Castro split the first two sets with Garcia-Castro winning the first 6-3 and Aria capturing a tiebreaker in the second. Aria was leading 3-1 in the third before Garcia-Castro retired due to injury.

Trailing 3-2, UC Davis then rallied with exciting wins in the remaining two singles contests. Sherbakov, fighting the effects of cramps, trailed Fernando Ristow 5-4 in their third-set tiebreaker but fought back to win the last three points, win the duel and tie the match.

Coates then finished the Aggies' team win with his three-set victory against Renan Delsin. Delsin won the openiing set 7-5 but Coates turned the tables to take the last two, 6-2 and 6-1.

"The team showed a lot of fighting spirit and a lot of heart again," said head coach Daryl Lee.

Nick Lopez and Hunter Lee beat Ristow and Vegerd Veskimagi 8-5 for the Aggies' lone doubles victory.

UC Davis returns to action on Sunday when it travels to face rival Sacramento State at 1 p.m.

UC Davis 4, Pacific 3
Jan. 30, 2010
University of the Pacific (Stockton, Calif.

Singles
1. Artem Gramma (P) d. Nick Lopez (UCD), 6-3, 6-4
2. Chris Aria (UCD) d. Ivan Garcia-Castro (P), 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 3-1 (ret.)
3. Toki Sherbakov (UCD) d. Fernando Ristow (P), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
4. Vegerd Veskimagi (P) d. Hunter Lee (UCD), 6-4, 6-1
5. Tyler Lee (UCD) d. Karl-Erik Paaro (P), 6-4, 6-1
6. Connor Coates (UCD) d. Renan Delsin (P), 5-7, 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Lopez/H. Lee (UCD) d. Ristow/Veskimagi (P), 8-5
2. Gramma/Garcia-Castro (P) d. T. Lee/Nic Amaroli (UCD), 8-3
3. Paaro/Delsin (P) d. Sherbakov/Coates (UCD), 8-6.

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