UCLA
Oregon
Bruins Drop Ducks in Pac-12 Opener
March 09, 2018 | Men's Tennis
EUGENE, Ore. โ The No. 4 UCLA men's tennis team was victorious in its Pac-12 opener Friday, defeating No. 40 Oregon at the Oregon Student Tennis Center, 4-1. No. 3 Martin Redlicki defeated No. 13 Thomas Laurent in the featured match, 7-6(5), 6-3, to clinch.
"An incredibly tough first match for us in our Pac-12 season here at Oregon," said UCLA head coach Billy Martin. "Their team seemed to be fired up, ready to play us."
All three matches were tight deep into doubles play, with two of them forced into a deciding 13th point. The home Ducks broke through first on Court 2, where No. 21 Cormac Clissold-Thomas Laurent defeated No. 24 Austin Rapp-Keegan Smith, 6-4, to snap the Bruin pair's five-match winning streak.
The Ducks needed just one of the two remaining matches, which simultaneously entered deciding tiebreakers. Cressy-Pereira nixed Oregon's immediate plan, winning its match by a 7-6(4) score on Court 3. That put all the pressure on Court 1, where Redlicki-Evan Zhu was knotted with Oregon's Armando Soemarno-Charles Roberts, 7-7. With the doubles point within reach, the reigning Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year took charge, dispatching the Ducks, 7-6(7).
UCLA won four of six first sets in singles play, with No. 58 Keegan Smith and Maxime Cressy key to the Bruins getting off on the right foot.
"I thought we got a great boost from Keegan and Max, who stepped up and won first sets, not easily, but convincingly," said Martin. "Got early breaks and made us all believe that we were at least going to be at least at three points and it was going to take somebody else to win that fourth point."
Their success continued into each's respective second set, with Smith defeating Akihiro Tanaka of the Ducks in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Cressy then followed through on Martin and the Bruins' hopes, increasing their lead to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Ty Gentry on Court 5.
Oregon finally broke through on Court 4, where Clissold took care of No. 62 Logan Staggs in straights, 6-4, 6-4.
The Ducks' hopes of turning the match around were quickly dashed as the top two courts both looked on the brink of going to the Bruins. With No. 117 Zhu in a tiebreak with Simon Stevens on Court 2, Redlicki took over in the second set versus Laurent. After taking the opening set thanks to a 7-5 tiebreak, the Boca Raton, Fla. native knocked off his Duck counterpart for the second time this seasonโand first in dual-match play. Redlicki's 7-6(5), 6-3 win sealed the overall victory.
The Bruins will continue their road trip Sunday, when they travel to Seattle to take on Washington. Play from Bill Quillian Tennis Stadium will begin at 1 p.m. UCLA has had early-season success in the Pacific Northwest, making a run to the ITA Team Indoor Championships final at the Nordstrom Tennis Centerโalso on the university's campus.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs Oregon
March 9, 2018 at Eugene, OR
(Oregon Student Tennis Center)
#4 UCLA 4, #40 Oregon 1
Singles competition
1. #3 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. #13 Thomas Laurent (ORE) 7-6(5), 6-3
2. #117 Evan Zhu (UCLA) vs. Simon Stevens (ORE) 6-3, 6-6 unfinished
3. #58 Keegan Smith (UCLA) def. Akihiro Tanaka (ORE) 6-3, 6-4
4. Cormac Clissold (ORE) def. #62 Logan Staggs (UCLA) 6-4, 6-4
5. Maxime Cressy (UCLA) def. Ty Gentry (ORE) 6-4, 6-3
6. Connor Hance (UCLA) vs. Riki Oshima (ORE) 3-6, 5-4 unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Martin Redlicki/Evan Zhu (UCLA) def. Armando Soemarno/Charles Roberts (ORE) 7-6(7)
2. #21 Cormac Clissold/Thomas Laurent (ORE) def. #24 Austin Rapp/Keegan Smith (UCLA) 6-4
3. Maxime Cressy/Bryce Pereira (UCLA) def. Simon Stevens/Ty Gentry (ORE) 7-6(4)
Match Notes:
UCLA 14-2, 1-0; National ranking #4
Oregon 9-5, 0-1; National ranking #40
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,5,4,1)
Players Mentioned
