Costa Mesa Pro Classic action begins

A full first round of doubles play and four first-round singles matches launched the first day of the main draw at the $10,000 Costa Mesa Pro Classic, part of the United States Tennis Assn. Pro Circuit tour, at Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

There will be 12 singles matches Wednesday, including six of the top eight seeds, including Nicolas Meister, a Trabuco Canyon native and former UCLA player. The other top seed playing Wednesday with a Southern California connection is second-seeded Daniel Nguyen, of Oxnard, a former player for USC.

Other players competing Wednesday include Carson High senior Deighton Baughman, Andre Dome of Arroyo Grande, Michael Grant of Santa Barbara, Eduardo Nava of Woodland Hills and three players with UCLA connections: current members Marcus Giron and Mackenzie McDonald, and former player Dennis Novikov.

Advancing to the singles second round Tuesday was Glendale’s Alexander Sarkissian, who defeated another current UCLA men’s tennis player, Clay Thompson.

In doubles action Tuesday, three of the four top seeds advanced, including the top-seeded duo of Carsten Ball of Newport Beach and partner Daniel Garza, and the second-seeded duo of Meister and Connor Farren. Also advancing after Tuesday in doubles play were the duo of UCLA teammates Giron and McDonald, as well as teams with Baughman and Nava.

The doubles final will be held Saturday, with the singles final decided Sunday.

Part of the USTA’s Pro Circuit, the $10,000 event features 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. All players are seeking to boost their world tennis ranking through participating in USTA Pro Circuit events held weekly across the country.

Along with showcasing professional tennis players, the Costa Mesa Tennis Center has joined the Nickelodeon Worldwide Day of Play. The event, available to junior tennis players of all skill levels, will be held Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.youthtennis.com.

— From staff reports