Man Song Hing Teaches Duke Lesson in Tennis, Leads UCI Win in Final

Bruce Man Song Hing proved to be both student and teacher in the final round of the Irvine-Marriott men’s tennis tournament at UC Irvine Monday.

Man Son Hing’s status as a student-athlete for the Anteaters is known. He leads Irvine with a 24-7 record.

In UCI’s final-round match against Duke, however, Man Son Hing also assumed the role of the teacher in defeating the Blue Devils’ Jeff Hersh, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 1 singles. That win helped the the Anteaters win the match, 5-1, and the championship of the 16-team tournament.

The match was concluded at the end of singles play because both teams had to travel to other tournaments.

In downing Hersh, Man Son Hing all but took the Duke sophomore over his knee and spanked him after Hersh’s on-court histrionics helped inspire more than intimidate the UCI senior.

Sophomore, apparently, is the operational word here, as in sophomoric behavior. More than once, Hersh taunted his opponent and the referee for line calls, but by the time the match ended, it became clear that such action unnerved the Duke player more than anyone else at the UCI tennis courts.

Or, as UCI tennis Coach Greg Patton said afterward, “We like to do our talking with our racquets.”

Indeed, Man Son Hing’s racquet spoke eloquently following the first of Hersh’s several outbursts.

Hersh took the first set, 6-2, playing a strong baseline game that kept Man Son Hing on his heels.

By the middle of the second set, Man Son Hing began to assert himself more and had a 4-2 lead.

With Hersh serving, the pair had one of their longer volleys of the match before Man Son Hing was able to spike a lob at Hersh’s feet, spinning him around in self-defense.

Hersh was not amused at being thwarted at his own game--the power return--and first began verbally sniping at Man Son Hing.

A composed sort, Man Son Hing, then assumed control of the match.

In other tournament action:

Chapman College 5, Wichita State 4--The Panthers took seventh place in the tournament at the Ridgeline Country Club in Orange. The Panthers (15-6) were the only Division II school in the tournament.

In the No. 1 singles match, Chapman’s Troy Turnbull defeated Jeremy Grubi, 6-2, 6-0. The Panthers’ John Soldat defeated Steve Salthouse in the No. 2 match, 6-1, 6-4. In the No. 1 doubles, Turnbull teamed with John Kline to defeat Salthouse and John Thorpe, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.