Area tennis fans will not have to venture far this week to enjoy some championship tennis. The 120th annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Tennis Championship returns to the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club March 5 through 8.   The best NCAA men’s college teams in the country are expected to enter, serving up great tennis for local fans. While many college teams enter the annual event, this is actually an open tournament that is not restricted to college players. With that in mind, some of the best local teaching pros and top junior players take part in it as well. The tournament has a list of winners that includes many of the most famous names in tennis. This year marks the 67th anniversary of the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship being held at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. The tournament was first held in Northern California starting in 1890, and Dwight D. Davis was one of the original competitors. It ultimately served as the inspiration for the worldwide men’s tennis competition between nations known as the Davis Cup.   The Pacific Coast Doubles started out as an East Coast versus West Coast tournament, and was such a success that a match between the U.S. and England ensued at the urging of Davis, after whom the Davis Cup is named. By 1904, other countries had joined the fray and the Davis Cup was born. According to La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club President Bill Kellogg, the tournament is special because it has the number three-ranked college team in the country, USC’s Farah and Johnson, along with a rebuilt Stanford team featuring El Cajon phenom Bradley Klahn (last year’s number one junior in the country), who just matriculated at Stanford, along with an all-star freshman recruiting class.   “In addition, we have colleges from all over the country, including Rice University, Notre Dame, Villanova, University of Toledo, William & Mary College, and Boston College,” Kellogg noted. “Our independent field is also very strong this year with two prominent former touring pros, Jeff Tarango and Todd Nelson, who are playing with younger protégés. A number of coaches will be playing in the event, too, including San Diego State’s Gene Carswell, who will be pairing with 2003 winner Ryan Redondo, and Peter Smith, USC’s coach, who will be playing with his son, Tanner.” Smith and his son played in the Father and Son national championship at the Beach Club in December, and the elder Smith made it to the finals of the National Men’s 30 Hard Courts in that tournament.   Local teams to watch this year, aside from those already mentioned, include Mike Paradowski and Chris Tontz, James Conda and Derek Miller, Brent Davis and Scott Kintz, John Chanfreau and Gannon Nicoll, and Marc Lucero and Oscar Plotnik. According to Kellogg, the level of tennis at this event is akin to pro-level doubles. “This year’s field is the largest in the tournament’s history, with approximately 90 teams vying for the title,” Kellogg continued. “As the quality of the tennis continues to improve, the reputation of the tournament grows, and this year the tournament is a big hit.  With such a strong draw, this tournament is really the last remaining top-level tournament in San Diego County, now that the Acura Tennis Classic has closed its doors. There is nowhere else that San Diego residents can witness such top-level tennis up close and personal. It is the most exciting event you can watch without leaving the city.” This week’s tournament admission is free and open to the public. There is a nominal fee for on-site parking.