Tennis: Costa Mesa Classic rolls into high gear

Six of the top eight seeds in the Costa Mesa Pro Classic a 10,000 United States Tennis Assn. Pro Circuit event, compete Wednesday in the second day of the event’s main draw at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

Top-seeded Matt Reid of Australia, currently ranked 248th in the world, plays wild-card entrant Taylor Fritz. Other top seeding players competing include second-seeded Jamere Jenkins, fourth-seed Dennis Nevolo, fifth seed Dennis Novikov, formerly of UCLA, sixth-seed Daniel Garza and seventh–seed Salvatore Caruso.

In singles play Monday, eighth-seeded Jeff Dadamo topped UCLA sophomore Mackenzie McDonald, who won the doubles competition at last year’s event, and third-seed Tennys Sandgren defeated former Pepperdine player Alex Sarkissian.

All 16 doubles team competed, but the top two seeds may have wished for a day off. Top-seeded Jenkins and Novikov were toppled by Baughman and Fritz in a tight match, and the second seeded duo of Reid and Patrick Davidson were beaten by Caruso and Antonio Massara.

Third seed McDonald and Martin Redlicki advanced as did the fourth seed of Andrew Dome and Oscar Fabian Matthews.

The Pro Circuit is the developmental arm of the USTA, fielding men’s and women’s tournament across the country. Players earn money and, just as important, world ranking points. The Costa Mesa Pro Classic is the second of three consecutive hard-court Pro Circuit events in Southern California.

— From staff reports