University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Busy Weekend for Bruin Tennis Players
September 20, 2015 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – It was a busy weekend on the courts for four UCLA men's tennis players, as the Claremont Club Pro Classic concluded on Sunday and the Costa Mesa Pro Classic qualifying rounds continue through Monday.
Junior Mackenzie McDonald cruised to the championship match in Claremont, without dropping a set early on. After taking the first set of the final, however, McDonald lost the second and third sets to Deiton Baughman, a 19-year-old pro from Carson, Calif., on Sunday afternoon.
“I thought I played really good tennis this week,” said McDonald of playing in his first Pro Circuit final. “I was really happy with a lot of things I did. I got to play five matches and I just have to keep getting better. I'm going to keep working on my serve."
In 2013, former Bruin Marcos Giron beat his then teammate Dennis Novikov to win the Claremont title. He then proceeded to capture the 2014 NCAA singles championship in May before foregoing his senior season to turn pro.
After dropping his round of 16 match in Claremont on Thursday, UCLA sophomore Martin Redlicki won three qualifying matches in straight sets in Costa Mesa. Redlicki first defeated Remus Risnoveanu, 6-4, 6-1, and went on to beat Forrest Edwards, 6-3, 6-3. The Bruin then took down Keith-Patrick Crowley in the third round, 7-6(6), 6-2.
Sophomore Austin Rapp also won three qualifying matches in Costa Mesa. After easing past Ryker Heller in straights, Rapp took down both Ty Maguire and Isaiah Strode in three sets.
After winning two qualifying matches, senior Ryoto Tachi fell to Lukas Moenter in the qualifying round of 32 on Sunday afternoon. Tachi took the first set, 6-1, but lost the match after Moenter battled back to take sets two and three.
The qualifying draw of the Costa Mesa Pro Classic will conclude Monday, with the main draw taking place Sept. 21-27 at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.
