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Hansen-Dent to Pursue Pro Career

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Brett Hansen-Dent, the top player in UC Irvine’s tennis program, is leaving school to pursue professional tennis, he said Thursday.

Hansen-Dent, 20, recently returned home after competing in a professional satellite tour in Malaysia, and plans to leave for France in about two weeks to compete on another satellite tour.

“I was going to see how it went this summer and go from there,” said Hansen-Dent, who reached the NCAA singles championship tournament as a freshman and was ranked as high as 23rd in the nation before last season. “Plus, things at UCI were kind of falling apart with everyone leaving.”

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Greg Patton, who coached the Anteater program to national prominence, has resigned to become tennis coach at Boise State, and several other players have left for various reasons.

A new coach is expected to be named soon. Among a small group of applicants who have been interviewed is Texas Tech Coach Steve Clark, a former Irvine assistant.

Hansen-Dent, who would have been a junior had he returned to Irvine, had a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. Though ranked No. 23 in the nation in a preseason poll, he finished at No. 37 after compiling a 16-14 record at No. 1 singles.

As a freshman, he split time between No. 1 and No. 2 and went 30-13, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Hansen-Dent has long been an area standout. As a Newport Harbor High School senior, he compiled a 41-1 record, winning a Southern Section title and the title in the prestigious Ojai tournament. He was ranked No. 1 in Southern California boys’ 18s and 19th nationally by the USTA.

His pursuit of a pro career has begun on the satellite tours, where players seek to acquire enough points to become eligible for qualifying tournaments that feed into the draw of regular tour tournaments.

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Hansen-Dent said he has 14 points after the summer, and that he needs a total of about 40 to move to the next level, and 100-200 to be eligible for qualifying tournaments.

“I don’t know if I’ve turned pro--I haven’t won enough money,” he said. “All I’ve taken has been expenses.”

The satellite tour is a starting point, one without much glamour.

“It’s not like tennis on TV,” he said. “You’re not at Wimbledon. You’re not at the nicest places. It’s kind of hectic. It’s nice to come home. It makes you appreciate Southern California.”

Hansen-Dent said he might eventually return to school to complete his education, but for now, his sights are set on tennis.

“My dream has always been to play pro tennis,” he said.

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