Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championship Play Continues in La Jolla

Editor's Note: The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club released the following results on March 1, 2013.

With a draw featuring 128 doubles teams, the 124th Annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club scheduled the completion of the first round as well as the second and third rounds on Thursday.

The result was a tournament record 148 matches played, according to Tournament Director Bill Kellogg, who said there had never been that many matches played in a single day in the history of the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship.

The tournament’s top-seeded collegiate team of Campbell Johnson and Christoffer Konigsfeldt of the UC Berkeley got off to an impressive start as they began their quest for the title by losing a total of only six games in their first two victories.

In their third round match of the day, Johnson and Konigsfeldt faced a tough challenge against the ninth-seeded team of Richard Del Nunzio and Matt Campbell of Oklahoma State. The top seeds got through to the fourth round with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 victory.

“We’re just having fun out there and We’re keeping it loose,” said the 21-year-old Johnson, a resident of nearby Rancho Santa Fe. “It’s nice to be back close to home and see all of my family and friends.”

Johnson, who is playing in his first Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship, says it’s a privilege to play the event in La Jolla. “The past champions that have won this tournament are incredible. It would be an honor to be up on that plaque,” he said. “This place is beautiful. If you’re from here (San Diego) you know about this club and the events held here.”

In other tournament action, the top-seeded independent team of KC Corkery and Blake Muller of San Francisco fell in the first round to Stanford’s Nolan Paige and Trey Strobel, 6-2, 6-4. Corkery is a former tournament champion, having won the tournament title in 2005 while playing for Stanford.

The fifth-seeded independent team of Kelly Jones, head tennis coach at Furman University, and Peter Smith, head tennis coach at the University of Southern California, won their opening match as they got past Villanova’s Kelly Donaldson and Thomas O’Brien, 6-1, 6-3.

Jones and Smith were eliminated in the second round as they were defeated by Tamas Batyi and Johannes Markel of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 6-2, 6-0.

Saturday’s schedule, which will feature fourth-round and quarterfinal matches, will begin at 9 a.m. On Sunday, the first semifinal will be played at 9 a.m., followed by the second semifinal match. The championship is scheduled to get underway at approximately 1:30 p.m. (All times are PST).

For complete tournament draws, click here.

La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis spectators to view the tournament with free admission. On-site parking is available for a fee.