University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Men's Tennis Adds Nanda, Zahraj
October 30, 2018 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ A pair of top junior players have signed with UCLA men's tennis, head coach Billy Martin announced Tuesday. Govind Nanda and Patrick Zahraj will join the Bruins in January and be eligible to play when the dual-match season commences later that month.
Nanda and Zahraj bring decorated careers to Westwood via markedly different paths. Nanda, a 5-9 local product from Cerritos, Calif., divided his high-school years between Connections Academy and Laurel Springs School before graduating early. The 6-2 Zahraj, meanwhile, has logged experience in the Czech Republic and his home country of Germany. He attended Kurpfalz-Gymnasium Mannheim.
Welcome to Westwood, @GovindNanda2 and Patrick Zahraj!
โ UCLA Men's Tennis (@uclatennis) October 30, 2018
The pair will be eligible for the upcoming dual-match season.
STORY: https://t.co/uLWpKMqzYF | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/cZPKK1MT0i
A Blue-Chip prospect according to TennisRecruiting.net, Nanda has been ranked as high as No. 2 in his class by the website. The right-hander broke on the scene in 2014 and went on to claim the USTA National Winter Championships singles and Easter Bowl doubles crowns one year later. A number of Futures titles and strong showings at the Florida-based Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl events set Nanda up for a standout 2018, which has included trips to the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open junior tournaments. This year has also seen him again take the Easter Bowl doubles championship, as well as reach the doubles final at the USTA Boys' 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. Nanda recently captured his first ITF Grade 1 title on the singles side of the Pan American Championships in Charlotte, N.C.
"We're very excited to have Govind joining our team. He's a Southern Cal boy," said Martin. "I've been able to watch him play tennis since he was 13-14 years old. He's graduating early, which is an incredible accomplishment. Great student, as well as a great player."
Zahraj made himself known on the American junior scene in 2015, when he advanced to the Eddie Herr International Boys' 16 final as an unseeded competitor. It was also on this trip that the right-hander's coach, Marcus Schneider, opened his eyes to UCLA. Zahraj holds a reputation as a well-rounded player with four singles state championships (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014) and eight international doubles titles to his name, not to mention a lengthy résumé of Futures events. Perhaps the finest performance of Zahraj's career came in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over top-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in a Boys' 14 match at the Tennis Austria 2012 Bergheim Europe Junior Tour.
"I think [Patrick's] going to be a great addition to the team, both singles and doubles." Martin explained. "We've been fortunate enough to be able to have him here at UCLA a couple times during the last six months. I know he's excited about it. I think it's really going to help our chances to compete for an NCAA championship with him on the team."
Nanda and Zahraj join a crop of Bruin freshman that already includes Roscoe Bellamy (Pacific Palisades/Laurel Springs School), Eric Hahn (Fullerton, Calif./Sunny Hills HS), Blaine Hovenier (Los Angeles, Calif./Campbell Hall), Mathew Tsolakyan (Glendale, Calif./Laurel Springs School) and Max Wild (Murrieta, Calif./Laurel Springs School).
Players Mentioned
