Torrey Pines beats Irvine University to win All-American tennis tournament

After two days of competition featuring 16 of the best tennis teams in the country, Torrey Pines emerged as champion of the 23rd annual National High School All-American Tournament.

The third-seeded Falcons defeated last year’s runner-up Irvine University 5-2 in the finals Saturday at the Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates. For the first time the two-day event was played at various locations in the South Bay after being held in Newport Beach the previous 22 years.

Torrey Pines, which plays in the San Diego Section, joined back-to-back Southern Section champion University as the only two schools to win the prestigious tournament four times. The Falcons swept City Section champion Palisades 6-0 in the first round Friday in a match that pitted two college bound players against each other at No. 1 singles as Falcons senior and UCSD signee Robert Freedman downed Dolphins junior and UCSB early commit Lorenzo Brunkow, 8-5.

In the semifinals later Friday, Torrey Pines beat Menlo, which had posted wins against Redondo Union (6-0) and Memphis University School (3-3 in sets, 35-32 on games) in the first two rounds.

Freedman lost to Corona del Mar’s Niels Hoffman in the Ojai CIF singles semifinals and to Rohan Murali in the San Diego Section singles final last spring.

Torrey Pines and University could meet again in the Southern California Regional Championships at the Claremont Club in May.

University entered the tournament with momentum after defeating two of the Southern Section’s highest ranked Division 1 teams, Corona del Mar and Northwood, earlier in the week. The top-seeded Trojans earned their spot in Saturday’s final by blanking San Diego Canyon Crest Academy and San Jose Bellarmine by 6-0 scores and getting by Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier Township 4-2 on Friday.

Peninsula beat Palisades 4-2 to win the consolation bracket.