Cougars Dominant at Ojai

OJAI, Calif. -- After being elevated to the No. 1 singles player for Azusa Pacific Boris Bakalov has had another good season.

With a 6-4, 6-1 win over nemesis Tim Kpulun in the final – Concordia’s top player who had already defeated Bakalov twice this season – he lifted the NAIA’s No. 1-ranked Cougars to its eighth Men’s Independent College Team Tournament championship at the 106th Ojai Valley Tournament.

Bakalov repeated as the singles champion. He beat then teammate Adam Davidson to claim last year’s title. To complete a dominant overall performance for Bakalov, he teamed with doubles partner Tom Jelsma to win the doubles championship.

They downed Matt Carroll and Marco Foelz of Fresno Pacific 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. It was the second straight year Bakalov took the doubles portion of the tournament. He, along with Adam Davidson, won in 2005.

Teammate David Goodman played very well in the singles portion of the tournament making a run all the way to the semifinals. He posted 3 straight victories before being bitten by the injury bug in the semifinals. It was an impressive showing for a player that has been an important cog in the Cougars’ ladder.

In doubles, Bakalov and Jelsma continued their quality play as they dominated the opposition on their way into the final. They only lost 1 set – the opener of the final – before storming back to win.

Cole Billings and Goodman also played well and were a tough out in the semifinals. The duo do not normally play together but quickly established a good chemistry in the tournament.

Next up for Azusa Pacific is the Region II tournament beginning May 4. The Cougars are the top-seed in the men’s bracket.

Singles

Round of 32

Roberto Bianco d. Tom Jelsma (APU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

David Goodman (APU) d. Andy Muesse, 7-5, 7-5

Boris Bakalov (APU) d. Khalif Gafoor, 6-0, 6-2

Round of 16

Goodman d. Kian Fattahi, 6-1, 6-2

Bakalov d. JB Schiller, 6-2, 6-0

Quarterfinals

Goodman d. Pete Sitnikov 1-6, 6-4, 5-2 (Ret.)

Bakalov d. Felix Hause, WD (Inj.)