La Jolla, Calif. - (March 8, 2015) – Oklahoma State University’s unseeded doubles team of Nicolai Ferrigno Olsen and Lucas Gerch captured the title at the 126th edition of the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship, scoring an impressive straight-set win over top-seeded Thibault Forget and Roberto Quiroz of USC.
 
The 6-3, 6-4  victory on a bright, sunny afternoon, was the first-ever for a Oklahoma State duo in the prestigious event, held annually at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and featuring top collegiate players from around the country.
 
“We played without any pressure, match after match, because we weren’t expected to win,” said Gerch, a hard-serving 6-foot-4 left-hander, referring to the duo’s underdog status. “We know each other’s games, so we were able to do a lot of tactics, especially on the returning side.”
 
The all-international final featured players from four non-U.S. countries: Gerch, a sophomore, hails from Germany; Ferrigno Olsen, a senior, is from Denmark. USC’s Forget, from France, is the son of former French Davis Cup player and captain Guy Forget. Quiroz, an Ecuadorian, is the nephew of 1990 French Open champion Andres Gomez
 
The outcome of each set was determined by Oklahoma State service breaks against Forget’s serve, most notably when OSU took a 5-4 lead in the second set after his double fault on break point. OSU’s Gerch went on to serve out the match.
 
Ferrigno Olsen and Gerch advanced to the final after defeating unseeded Brett Bacharach and Bryce McKelvie of UC Davis, 6-3, 6-1, in an early-morning semifinal match.
 
In the second semifinal, Forget and Quiroz scored a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over seventh-seeded Joseph Di Giulio and Karue Sell of UCLA.  
 
For Sunday’s complete results and final Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles draws, please go to:  http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=153473

Named “Club of the Year” for 2011 by the San Diego District Tennis Association and one of the “Top 50 Tennis Resorts in the World” by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club's reputation as a top tennis destination started when it attracted its first major tournament – the Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championship in 1942. The tournament is one of the five-oldest tennis events in the world and the second oldest tennis event in the United States. First held in 1890 at The Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California, the event was created to promote the sale of real estate on the Monterey peninsula. The original concept pitted the best players from the East versus those from the West. This coast-to-coast rivalry was the inspiration for the Davis Cup. Past winners of the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship include Jack Kramer, Ted Schroeder, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Segura, Don Budge, Tony Trabert, Stan Smith, Bob Lutz, Arthur Ashe, Dennis Ralston, John McEnroe, and many other world-class champions.

The Club will also be hosting the USTA National Hard Court Championships for Women’s 50-90 age groups and La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club Hard Court Tournament for Men’s 60-85 age groups on Monday, May 11, through Sunday, May 17. 
 

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