Tennis Trio Helps Team USA to Master'U Title
December 02, 2019 | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
GRENOBLE, France โ Featuring three representatives of UCLA tennis, Team USA won its ninth Master'U BNP Paribas championshipโand eighth in nine yearsโon Sunday. The roster of six American college tennis standouts included Jada Hart of UCLA women's tennis and Keegan Smith of UCLA men's tennis. UCLA women's tennis associate head coach Rance Brown served on Greg Patton's coaching staff.
For the third year in a row, Team USA defeated Great Britain in the final round. Smith was on court for the deciding point, giving the Bruins three clinching wins over the course of the three-day tournament.
CHAMPIONS IN FRANCE ??????#TeamUSATennis defeats Great Britain and takes home their ninth @masterubnpp title in the last 11 years! pic.twitter.com/ehF7Yx2zVj
โ USTA (@usta) December 1, 2019
The Stars and Stripes opened Friday versus host France. Pitted against Louis Dissin, Smith picked up the first win of the day in comeback fashion. The No. 2 singles players traded 7-5 sets, with Dussin taking the initial one. After evening the score, Smith took six of seven games in the third set to officially get Team USA off on the right foot. The Americans went on to win three of four singles matches, but France took the first doubles decision to cut its deficit to 3-2. Hart and North Carolina's Alexa Graham would not let them pull even, though, dispatching of Luna Dormet of Ohio State and Emmanuelle Salas of Florida State by a 6-1, 6-0 score to finalize the 4-2 win.
While neither Hart nor Smith played a singles match in the semifinal-round match versus Ireland, both earned doubles victories. Once again, Team USA won three of its first four matches to set the tone, but would not let its opposition get any closer. Hart and Graham sealed the victory, defeating Julie Byrne of Northwestern and Ruth Copas, formerly of New Mexico, 6-1, 6-3, to earn a spot in the final. The remaining matches were played out, with Smith and Aleks Kovacevic of Illinois knocking off the Irish combination of Collins/O'Colligan, 8-3. The Americans would go on to win by a 6-1 margin.
Smith faced off against a familiar face in Sunday's No. 2 men's singles match, as former Utah standout Dan Little lined up on the other side of the net for Great Britain. The first set in that showdown needed a 13th game, which Little took. The second set also went the way of the Ute, whose 7-6, 6-2 victory marked and first and only loss for a UCLA player during the event. Smith and Kovacevic captured the lone doubles match, beating Little and Ben Jones, 6-3, 6-2, to set off a celebration.
Hart previously represented her home country in 2018, when she was part of the championship-winning Team USA squad. Like Smith, Hart was on court for the clinching doubles match versus Great Britain.
Tennis Match Results
USA vs France
11/29/2019 at Grenoble, France
USA 4, France 2
Singles
2 Men's - Keegan Smith (USA) def. Louis Dussin (FRA), 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
2 Women's - Alexa Graham (USA) def. Emmanuelle Salas (FRA) 6-3, 6-4
1 Men's - Ronan Joncour (FRA) def. Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA), 7-6, 6-2
1 Women's - Michaela Gordon (USA) def. Margaux Orance (FRA), 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
Men - Dussin/Musitelli (FRA) def. Aleks Kovacevic/Alexandre Rotsaert (USA), 7-6, 4-6, [10-4]
Women - Jada Hart/Alexa Graham (USA) def. Dormet/Salas (FRA), 6-1, 6-0
Tennis Match Results
USA vs Ireland
11/30/2019 at Grenoble, France
USA 6, Ireland 1
Singles
2 Women's - Alexa Graham (USA) def. Ruth Copas (IRL), 6-0, 6-3
2 Men's - Alexandre Rotsaert (USA) def. Sean Collins (IRL), 6-1, 6-1
1 Women's - Julie Byrne (IRL) def. Michaela Gordon (USA), 6-2, 7-6
1 Men's - Aleks Kovacevic (USA) def. Simon Carr (IRL), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles
Women's - Jada Hart/Alexa Graham (USA) def. Byrne/Copas (IRL) 6-1, 6-3
Men's - Aleks Kovacevic/Keegan Smith (USA) def. Collins/O'Colligan (IRL), 8-3
Mixed - Jada Hart/Alexandre Rotsaert (USA) def. O'Colligan/Collins (Ireland), 8-0
Tennis Match Results
USA vs Great Britain
12/1/2019 at Grenoble, France
USA 4, Great Britain 1
Singles
2 Women's - Alexa Graham (USA) def. Ella Taylor (GBR), 6-2, 7-5
2 Men's - Dan Little (GBR) def. Keegan Smith (USA), 7-6, 6-2
1 Women's - Michaela Gordon (USA) def. Emily Arbuthnott (GBR), 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
1 Men's - Aleks Kovacevic (USA) def. Ben Jones (GBR), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
Men's - Aleks Kovacevic/Keegan Smith (USA) def. Jones/Little (GBR), 6-1, 6-2
Players Mentioned
