UCLA
ITA Regional Championships Presented by Oracle
Bruins Look to Continue Malibu Success
October 18, 2017 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- With a string of recent success at the event, the UCLA men's tennis team will begin play at the Pepperdine-hosted USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships Thursday. A Bruin has won each of the past three singles titles at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center, with the departed Gage Brymer capturing the latest in 2016.
This year's field features nine Bruins, eight of which will team up to form four pairs as part of the doubles draw. Senior Logan Staggs is the highest-seeded UCLA representative in the field, at No. 2. Junior Maxime Cressy is seeded No. 9.
Play will begin with doubles at 9:00 a.m., when freshman Lucas Bellamy joins forces with redshirt-freshman Connor Rapp to take on the UCSB team of Henrik Atlevi and Joseph Rotheram on Court 6. Upon completion, the winner will take on the Loyola Marymount duo of Lukas Moenter and Lucas Moreno in the Round of 32. The Bruin teams of Ben Goldberg-Staggs, Maxime Cressy-Keegan Smith and Pereira-Austin Rapp will also play in the Round of 32 Thursday at 9:45 a.m., after the Round of 64 matches are completed.
In singles action, freshman Pereira will get things started at 10:45 a.m. Thursday when he faces Brian Berdusco of host Pepperdine on Court 7. Fellow first-year player Bellamy will take on another member of the Waves, Max Mendelsohn, in the second match of the day (about 12:15 p.m.) on Court 7. Also playing second matches will be sophomore Goldberg (against David Hough of San Diego State on Court 8) and freshman Connor Hance (against Lucas Labrunie of Hawai'i on Court 9).
Awaiting Round of 64 results for their opponents are Smith, Austin Rapp, Cressy, Staggs and Connor Rapp. Each will begin play on his respective court no sooner than the third match of the day Thursday.
Senior Martin Redlicki, who will not participate at Pepperdine, recently took part in the qualifying rounds of the Las Vegas Tennis Open at the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas. The Boca Raton, Fla. native defeated Alastair Gray of TCU in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, before taking down current LSU player Eric Samuelsson in straights, 6-2, 6-3. His run would come to an end against former Illinois player Jared Hiltzik, 6-2, 6-1.
Among other former UCLA players featured in the Las Vegas field were Karue Sell (who advanced out of the qualifying rounds, Marcos Giron, Dennis Novikov and Mackenzie McDonald (doubles). Giron has a Round of 16 date with former Georgia Tech player Kevin King upcoming.
Players Mentioned
