UCLA
Arizona
Bruins Notch Win, Unbeaten Pac-12 Road Mark
April 15, 2018 | Men's Tennis
TUCSON, Ariz. โ The No. 2 UCLA men's tennis team put a bow on an undefeated Pac-12 road mark with a 4-0 win at Arizona Sunday. The Bruins (22-2, 7-0) are alone atop the conference standings and will look to remain there when conclude the regular season versus Utah on Friday, April 20.
The Bruins extended their winning streak to 11 matches. They have outscored opponents 51-11 during the run. Evan Zhu clinched the weekend win over the Wildcats, his second deciding victory of the day. The sophomore also teamed with Martin Redlicki to capture the doubles point. Maxime Cressy posted this third straight 2-0 match.
"I think [Cressy] was outstanding this weekend," said UCLA head coach Billy Martin, who also singled out Zhu. "Really two tough places for us to play. The altitude, not much time to get used to it. It's always, always a tough road trip for us."
Having lost back-to-back doubles points on the road before rallying on each occasion, the Bruins looked to get off on the right foot at the Lanelle Robson Tennis Center. They would do just that, establishing leads on all three courts. The Wildcat team of Alejandro Reguant and Jonas Maier would rally on court 2, though, taking five of the final six games from 11th-ranked Austin Rapp-Keegan Smith for a 6-3 victory.
The duo of Cressy-Bryce Pereira improved its team-best win total to 15 with a 6-3 win over Trent Botha-Shoti Meparidze to pull the Bruins even and put the pressure on the top court. There, the UCLA tandem of Redlicki-Zhu snapped a two-match spell with a 6-4 win over its top-court counterpart, Igor Karpovets-Aaro Pollanen.
With the doubles point already in their back pocket, the Bruins went on to capture five of six first sets in singles play to move closer to the overall win. Cressy once again proved a catalyst to the Bruin success, knocking off Maier on court 5, 6-4, 6-0. The sweep of singles and doubles victories marked the third straight occurrence for the junior from Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Smith was next off the singles courts with his 10th singles win in as many dual matches. He has not dropped a set during the streak. The latest, a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over Filip Malbasic of the Wildcats on court 3, ran the Bruin lead to 3-0. Soon thereafter, another red-hot Bruin clinched the Bruins' 11th straight win as team. Zhu received a challenge from Arizona's Aaron Pollanen on the way to his seventh straight singles triumph, but notched yet another straight-set win, 7-6(2), 6-3.
"Guys have a little bit of the determination and mindset they won't be denied," said UCLA head coach Billy Martin. "Two big wins in the Pacific Northwest, two down here and then, of course, the SC win, makes me very proud of what the team has accomplished so far."
The Bruins will wrap up their regular season Friday, April 20, when Utah pays a visit to Los Angeles Tennis Center. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,3,2
Players Mentioned
