UCLA
Texas A&M (Third Round)
Bruins Drop Aggies, Advance to Quarters
May 18, 2017 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. โ The fifth-seeded UCLA men's tennis team advanced to its 22nd NCAA quarterfinal in 24 years under head coach Billy Martin, as it posted a 4-1 win over 12th-seeded Texas A&M Thursday. The Round of 16 matchup on McWhorter Courts at Dan Magill Tennis Complex was clinched by Maxime Cressy on Court 4. UCLA will face another SEC foe in host Georgia, which defeated USC Thursday.
The doubles team of Austin Rapp and Joseph Di Giulio needed just over 20 minutes to dispatch the Aggies' duo of Hady Habib and Jordi Arconada on Court 2, 6-1. That upped the Bruin pair's record to 16-6 (9-4 in dual-match play) on the year. With that, UCLA needed just one more doubles win and found both Courts 1 and 3 knotted at four games apiece. Backs against the wall, the Aggie Court 3 team of Alexsandre Bakshi and Maxim Lunkin stepped up with two games and a 6-4 win over Cressy-Ben Goldberg to even the tally.
That left the doubles point up to the marquee matchup of the day between the Top-10 duos of Martin Redlicki and Evan Zhu of UCLA and AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech of Texas A&M on the top court. Tied at five, Zhu held serve to give the No. 3 Bruin duo a 6-5 edge. The No. 9 Aggie pair would not go away, though, as it forced deuce. Ultimately, Redlicki ripped a shot up the line and Rinderknech returned long to give the Bruins the first point of the day. Catanzariti-Rinderknech had won seven matches in row before running into the now 19-3 (17-2 dual) top Bruin pair.
Redlicki rips the forehand up the line that Rinderknech can't handle to give UCLA the doubles point! pic.twitter.com/ml9TGC1HXN
โ UCLA Men's Tennis (@uclatennis) May 18, 2017
Texas A&M came out inspired in singles play with first-set wins by Habib and Catanzariti on Courts 5 and 3, respectively. By the time all first sets were complete, each side had won an opener, with Bruin wins coming by Zhu, Cressy and Di Giulio. Zhu quickly made it a multi-point advantage for UCLA with a straight-set win over No. 48 Arconada, 6-4, 6-3. Di Giulio endured Bakshi's best shot in the first set, but ultimately proved too strong for the Aggie sophomore with a straight-set win of his own, 7-5, 6-1, to put Texas A&M on the brink of elimination.
No. 6 Rinderknech atoned for his doubles loss to defeat No. 60 Redlicki on Court 1, 6-4, 6-2, to give the Aggies a fighting chance down the stretch. After splitting the first two sets on Courts 3 and 5, the Aggies needed a Valentinย Vacherot comeback on Court 4 to have a chance. Cressy did not let that happen, however, as the 6-7 sophomore held off his fellow French countryman, 6-4, 6-4.
Cressy holds and UCLA is into the @NCAATennis quarterfinals!!! #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/C4dutwUZ6F
โ UCLA Men's Tennis (@uclatennis) May 18, 2017
Texas A&M completes its season with a 21-7 record.
With the win, UCLA (22-5) advances to its sixth consecutive quarterfinal, where it will face 13th-seeded and host Georgia Saturday (1:00 p.m., PT). The Bulldogs upset fourth-seeded USC Thursday on the Henry Field Courts, 4-3, despite losing the doubles point. UCLA previously went the distance to defeat Georgia at the Pac-12/SEC Showdown on Feb. 4 at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla.
Tennis Match Results
Texas A&M vs UCLA
May 18, 2017 at Athens, GA
(Dan Magill Tennis Complex)
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#5 UCLA 4, #13 Texas A&M 1
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Doubles competition
1. #3 Redlicki/Zhu (UCLA) def. #9 Catanzariti/Rinderknech (TAMU) 7-5
2. A. Rapp/Di Giulio (UCLA) def. Habib/Arconada (TAMU) 6-1
3. Bakshi/Lunkin (TAMU) def. Cressy/Goldberg (UCLA) 6-4
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Singles competition
1. #6 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. #60 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) 6-4, 6-2
2. Evan Zhu (UCLA) def. #48 Jordi Arconada (TAMU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Logan Staggs (UCLA) vs. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) 2-6, 6-4, 3-2, unfinished
4. Maxime Cressy (UCLA) def. Valentinย Vacherot (TAMU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Austin Rapp (UCLA) vs. Hady Habib (TAMU) 6-3, 3-6, 4-4, unfinished
6. Joseph Di Giulio (UCLA) def. Alexsandre Bakshi (TAMU) 7-5, 6-1
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Match Notes:
Texas A&M 21-7; National ranking #13
UCLA 22-5; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,6,1,4)
Players Mentioned
