SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The No. 37 Santa Clara Broncos men's tennis team came up with another sweep on their home courts, this time topping Sacramento State and Sonoma State. Senior Tom Pham (12-5) broke the all-time wins record by winning both his matches, giving him 75 wins during his outstanding Bronco career.
Pham's 7-5, 6-0 win over Sonoma State broke the previous record of 74 wins set by Francisco Zepponi ('02-'04), and his teammates showered the San Diego native with ice water in celebration. While Zepponi had 63 losses during his Bronco career, Pham has a mere 24, proving his effectiveness and efficiency. Pham's career awards include: All-WCC Honorable Mention Singles (3X), All-WCC Honorable Mention Doubles and First Team All-WCC Academic Team.
"I am so proud of Tom for getting this prestigious record today," said Bronco head coach Derek Mills. "To be the all-time leader in singles victories is such a great accomplishment and is something he will never forget. Tom is one of the classiest guys you will ever meet and I am so happy for him."
With the two wins, the Broncos improve to 7-3 (0-1 WCC) and have won four of their last five matches (lost WCC Opener 4-3 at No. 50 BYU). Santa Clara recorded an opening-day sweep over UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz Jan. 19, and their home record now sits at a perfect 4-0.
In the morning match against Sacramento State, Santa Clara defeated the Hornets 5-2. The Broncos top five singles players all won, starting with John Lamble's 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 1. Ilya Osintsev was a 6-3, 6-1 winner, and Matt Kecki also cruised to a straight-set victory, 6-1, 6-2.
Ashot Khacharyan won 7-5, 6-2 which upped his record to 7-1 on the season, including his current five-game winning streak. Pham triumphed 7-6, 6-1, which gave him 11 wins on the season and 74 for his career which tied him for the all-time wins record.
Against Sonoma State in the afternoon, Santa Clara made quick work of the visiting Sea Wolves and showed no signs of fatigue in their second match. Every Santa Clara player won in singles, with no Bronco surrendering more than seven games.
No. 1 Lamble (6-0, 6-2), No. 4 Khacharyan (6-0, 6-1) and No. 5 Eugene Muchysnki (6-2, 6-0) were the most dominating, however all Broncos took care of business with strong performances. The highlight of the match was Pham's record-setting victory, which was a special moment for Pham and the entire Bronco team.
Position |
Santa Clara University |
Sacramento State |
Winner |
Score |
#1 Singles |
#69 John Lamble |
Santa Clara University |
6-4, 6-1 |
|
#2 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-3, 6-1 |
||
#3 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-1, 6-2 |
||
#4 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
7-5, 6-2 |
||
#5 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
7-6, 6-1 |
||
#6 Singles |
Sacramento State |
7-6, 6-0 |
||
#1 Doubles |
Sacramento State |
8-6 |
||
#2 Doubles |
Sacramento State |
9-8 |
||
#3 Doubles |
Santa Clara University |
8-3 |
Position |
Santa Clara University |
Sonoma State University |
Winner |
Score |
#1 Singles |
#69 John Lamble |
Santa Clara University |
6-0, 6-2 |
|
#2 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-3, 6-1 |
||
#3 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
7-5, 6-0 |
||
#4 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-0, 6-1 |
||
#5 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
6-2, 6-0 |
||
#6 Singles |
Santa Clara University |
7-6, 6-1 |
||
#1 Doubles |
Santa Clara University |
8-3 |
||
#2 Doubles |
Unfinished |
6-3 |
||
#3 Doubles |
Santa Clara University |
8-1 |