University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Sell, Redlicki Shine at SoCal Pro Futures
January 08, 2018 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- One current UCLA men's tennis player and a former Bruin standout swept the singles and doubles events at the Southern California Pro Futures tournament at USC's Marks Tennis Stadium to begin the new year. Karue Sell, who most recently played for the Bruins in 2016, took the singles title Sunday, two days after claiming the doubles title alongside former UCLA teammate and current Oracle/ITA top-ranked singles player Martin Redlicki.
Qualifier Sell was an underdog upon learning the singles draw, but did not let that stop him from rolling to a 6-3, 7-5 win over eighth-seeded Dzmitry Zhyrmont in the first round. His second-round match against Ulises Blanch went to a first-set tiebreak, which Sell claimed on the way to a 7-6(6), 6-3 win and a quarterfinal appearance.
Two more straight-set wins earned Sell a final-round berth, as the 24-year old topped TCU's Alex Rybakov in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-3, and seventh-seeded Jan Satral in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-4.
Fifth-seeded former Georgia Tech standout Christopher Eubanks awaited Sell, who dropped his first set of the tournament in a tiebreaker and was forced to endure a right hamstring injury suffered during the opening set and adjust his style of play.
"After the first set I just stopped thinking and said whatever happens, happens," Sell said. "I started moving inside the baseline to return his serve and I think that kind of threw him off a little bit. He didn't pick his spots as well. I don't know, I think caring less actually helped a little bit."
Sell's strategy paid off, as he was ultimately able to secure a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2 victory, 27 ATP points and his first USTA Pro Circuit $25,000 title. He previously claimed his first pro title at the Claremont Club Pro Classic, a $15,000-level event. Sell also earned $3,600 with Sunday's win.
Sell won 12 straight matches over nine days to capture the title, which was his second in three days. On the doubles side, the team of Sell and Redlicki also embraced the underdog role to take down three of the top four seeds in the field.
The pair, which teamed up for two years at UCLA (2014-15, 2015-16), went to a third-set tiebreak to get things started, outdueling the second-seeded team of Ante Pavic and Satral, 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (5). The Bruins had a much easier go of it in the quarterfinals, as they defeated the USC team of Jake Devine and Tanner Smith, 6-0, 6-1.
The California duo of Andre Goransson and Florian Lakat, seeded fourth, posed another test for Sell-Redlicki, which dropped the opening set, 2-6. The Bruins would answer to force a decisive 10-point tiebreak and Sell-Redlicki would need all 10 of those points, as they held off the Golden Bears to earn a spot in the final, 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8).
The top-seeded team of Luke Bambridge and Hans Hach Verdugo had yet to drop a set prior to the final, but Sell and Redlicki put an end to that with a 6-4 first-set win. That would set the tone for the rest of the final, as the UCLA tandem took the title in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Next up for Sell is the Long Beach Pro Futures at El Dorado Park.
