University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Sell Holds Off Redlicki in All-Bruin Final
September 19, 2017 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- Karue Sell, who played the final season of his decorated career at UCLA in 2015-16, won the 2017 Claremont Club Pro Classic singles title Sunday with a 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3 decision over one-time teammate and current Bruin senior Martin Redlicki. The win capped a productive week for the Jarugua do Sul, Brazil native, who joined partner Deiton Baughman in defeating the tournament's top two seeds en route to the doubles title Friday.
Beginning with qualifying Sept. 8 and counting both singles and doubles matches, Sell won 13 times to ensure the two championships at the Claremont Club. Dispersed among the participants was $15,000 in prize money.
Sell was no worse for wear after recording four wins in qualifying, including a 7-5, 6-3 victory over 10th-seeded Jordy Maginley to move into the field. Once there, the 2015-16 All-Pac-12 Second Teamer encountered the tournament's top seed, Christopher O'Connell of Australia. Sell used the momentum from the previous days to score a major upset over O'Connell to open play, 6-4, 7-6 (3). A walkover win over Alexander Cozbinov of Moldova moved Sell into the quarterfinals, where he topped USC's Laurens Verboven, 6-2, 6-4. When Baughman was forced to retire in the semifinals, the all-Bruin final was set up.
Redlicki, who did not play in the qualifying stage, needed three sets to move past Alberto Lim of the Philippines, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3, in his first-round match. That proved to be the closest call for the Boca Raton, Fla. native, who defeated Americans Isaiah Strode, Jenson Brooksby and Henry Craig in straight sets to move to the final.
In a tiebreak, Redlicki took the first set from Sell, but ultimately came up short in three sets. The win marked the first Futures title for the Brazilian.
The unseeded team of Sell and Baughman upset three of the top four seeds in the doubles field on its way to that championship, ultimately knocking off the second-seeded duo of Benjamin Lock and Evan Song in the final, 6-4, 7-5. In order to reach the championship round, Sell-Baughman scored a straight-set decision over top-seeded Hunter Callahan and Robert Galloway, 6-3, 6-4, to follow a 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal win over No. 4 Matias Franco Descotte and Ronnie Schneider. The closest call for the eventual champions proved to be its first-round win over Ivan Thamma and Bruin freshman Bryce Pereira. After dropping the first set, 6-7 (4), Sell-Baughman took the second, 6-4. That set up a 10-point third-set tiebreak, which Sell-Baughman took in a close one, 10-8.
Players Mentioned
