UCLA
Utah State
No. 6 UCLA Advances to ITA Indoors
January 28, 2018 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- The No. 6 UCLA men's tennis team advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships Sunday with a 4-0 blanking of Utah State at Los Angeles Tennis Center. The fourth and final match at the UCLA site of ITA Kick-Off Weekend pitted the winners of Saturday's matches against each other.
Evan Zhu clinched the victory for UCLA (6-0), which previously defeated UC Davis by an identical 4-0 score Saturday. ITA Indoors will take place Feb. 16-19 in Seattle.
Martin Redlicki and Evan Zhu teamed to put momentum on the side of the Bruins in the first doubles decision of the afternoon. The pair made quick work of the Aggie duo of Jaime Barajas and Jose Carvajal, 6-2, on Court 1. With the Court 2 pair of Austin Rapp and Keegan Smith leading 5-4 on Court 2, it was the Court 3 team of Maxime Cressy and Bryce Pereira that provided the clincher, 6-4. Pereira's overhead smash sent the Bruins into singles with a 1-0 lead.
No. 55 Logan Staggs quickly increased that lead to 2-0 with a straight-set win, 6-2, 6-3, over Utah State's Jose Carvajal. Top-ranked Martin Redlicki almost simultaneously topped Jaime Barajas by the same 6-2, 6-3 score to put the Aggies on the brink of elimination.
With Courts 2 and 5 needing first-set tiebreaks and Court 6 going to six first-set games, Zhu had an opportunity to do the honors of advancing the Bruins to Indoors. Sergio Bucur posed a challenge to the Bruin sophomore, but was unable to garner a set, falling by a 6-4, 6-4 tally.
In Sunday's morning consolation match, UCF topped UC Davis, 4-1.
Next up for the Bruins is a Sunday, Feb. 4 matchup at Stanford. Play from the Taube Tennis Center will begin at 12 p.m. and be available to watch at StreamingTennis.com.
Tennis Match Results
Utah State vs UCLA
Jan 28, 2018 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#6 UCLA 4, Utah State 0
Singles competition
1. #1 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. Jaime Barajas (USU) 6-2, 6-3
2. #108 Keegan Smith (UCLA) vs. Samuel Serrano (USU) 7-6 (7-5), 5-1, unfinished
3. Evan Zhu (UCLA) def. Sergiu Bucur (USU) 6-4, 6-4
4. #55 Logan Staggs (UCLA) def. Jose Carvajal (USU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Maxime Cressy (UCLA) vs. Valdemar Holm (USU) 7-6 (7-2), 4-3, unfinished
6. Connor Hance (UCLA) vs. Felipe Acosta (USU) 5-7, 3-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Martin Redlicki/Evan Zhu (UCLA) def. Jaime Barajas/Jose Carvajal (USU) 6-2
2. Austin Rapp/Keegan Smith (UCLA) vs. Valdemar Holm/Andrew Nakajima (USU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Maxime Cressy/Bryce Pereira (UCLA) def. Sergiu Bucur/Samuel Serrano (USU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Utah State 3-2
UCLA 6-0; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,1,3)
T-1:55
Players Mentioned
