The Arizona men’s tennis team got off to a fast start at the ITA West Regional Championships in Malibu, Calif., on Thursday. Of the nine UA players participating in singles matches, seven of them advanced to Friday’s round of 64.

“”We did well,”” said Arizona head coach Tad Berkowitz. “”Seven of nine players advancing is a very positive thing for us.””

Berkowitz said he was pleased with the effort of all nine players, especially with freshman Ola Bakke, who defeated Mathieu Forgot of UC-Santa Barbara in straight sets.

“”Bakke played really well against a very good player,”” Berkowitz said. “”For a freshman to come up with a nice win is a great thing both for him and for our team.””

In doubles action, Arizona’s tandems of Pat Metham and Francois VanderMerwe, and Andres Arango and Andres Carasco both advanced to Friday’s round.

“”It was really a good day all around,”” Berkowitz said. “”It was nice to see everyone play well, and what really popped into my mind was the strong play of our younger players.

“”(Friday’s) round of 64 is a lot tougher than (Thursday), and the days after that get tougher and tougher,”” he added. “”We have a lot of work to do. The competition gets a lot better, but we have a lot of guys playing so it will be good to see how we do.””