Baughman shines at Costa Mesa Pro Classic

COSTA MESA — Deighton Baughman, a 17-year-old from Carson, continued his impressive run in the Costa Mesa Pro Classic Thursday, defeating UCLA freshman McKenzie McDonald in the first round of the main draw at Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

Baughman won three qualifying matches earlier in the week.

He faces Noah Rubin Thursday at 10 a.m. for a shot to advance to the quarterfinals in the $10,000 Costa Mesa Pro Classic, part of the USTA’s Pro Circuit tour.

Other Southern Californians who also won Wednesday included: top-seed Nicolas Meister, of Trabuco Canyon and former UCLA men’s tennis player; Andre Dome, of Arroyo Grande; Michael Grant, of, Santa Barba; Eduardo Nava, of Woodland Hills; former UCLA player Dennis Novikov; and current UCLA player Marcus Giron, who won last week’s USTA event in Claremont, Calif.

Both Dome and Nava upended seeded players.

Second-seeded Daniel Nguyen, of Oxnard, a former member of USC’s tennis team, lost to the unseeded Rubin in straight sets. Glendale’s Alexander Sarkissian advanced to the second round by winning Tuesday.

All 16 remaining players in the field will compete Thursday, and four doubles teams will compete in the quarterfinals. Both the singles and doubles finals will be held 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