UCLA
Notre Dame
UCLA Freshmen Big in ITA Indoors Win
February 15, 2019 | Men's Tennis
CHICAGO – Two freshmen shined in their ITA Team Indoor Championships debuts for UCLA Friday, as the sixth-seeded Bruins defeated 11-seed Notre Dame 4-1 at the Midtown Athletic Club.
UCLA will face No. 3 seed Wake Forest Saturday in a rematch of the 2018 ITA Indoors final. First serve between the Bruins and Demon Deacons will come at 10 a.m., PT.
Newcomer Patrick Zahraj, who had been unable to finish any of his initial four dual matches, picked up a three-set win on Court 3 to clinch the overall victory. Fellow freshman Govind Nanda turned in a three-set win of his own, while junior Ben Goldberg triumphed in straight sets. The Bruins started the day with a suspenseful doubles battle that they captured with a pair of 7-5 wins. Goldberg, Nanda and Zahraj each posted two wins across singles and doubles action.
What a time for Zahraj to pick up his first dual match victory!
— UCLA Men's Tennis (@uclatennis) February 15, 2019
Patrick's backhand passing shot gives him the break and a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win, which clinches it for the Bruins! pic.twitter.com/a9sgpreCJa
It was a mixed start to doubles play for the Bruins, who got an early boost from their Court 3 combination of Bryce Pereira and Patrick Zahraj. With the Court 1 pairs destined for a tiebreaker and Ben Goldberg and Govind Nanda facing a multi-game deficit on Court 2, Pereira-Zahraj jumped out to a 5-1 advantage over Grayson Broadus and Matt Gamble. The veteran Fighting Irish pair pushed back, however, making it no easy decision.
Trailing 4-2 on serve against Alex Lebedev and Axel Nefve, the tandem of Goldberg and Nanda started a comeback of its own on the middle court. In search of its first dual-match win of the season, the UCLA pair saw an opportunity and took it, seizing five of the next six games and the day's opening win.
On Court 3, Broadus-Gamble had come all the way back to knot things up at five games apiece. With momentum firmly on its side, the Fighting Irish duo looked primed for a comeback win. Just as soon as Broadus-Gamble turned the match around, though, Pereira-Zahraj returned the favor with the final two games and the win.
The Bruins took three of the six first sets to put them in line for a quarterfinal-round berth. Playing on Court 5, Goldberg bounced back from a straight-set loss Wednesday against Illinois to control his match against William Howells Friday. The UCLA junior held on in the first set 7-5 before rolling in the second 6-1, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
In an all-freshman showdown, UCLA's Mathew Tsolakyan traded blows with Nefve on Court 4. The Fighting Irish first-year player struck first with a 6-4 first set and then doubled up Tsolakyan in the second to cut the deficit in half.
Nanda got off to a red-hot start in his Court 2 debut, only to have Richard Ciamarra push back. They would need a 12th game in the opening set, which Nanda seized. Ciamarra prevailed in the second, 6-4, setting up a decisive third set. Tied at two games apiece, Nanda took charge down the stretch on the way to a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win. The Redlands, Calif. native has now won all five of his singles dual matches.
With Maxime Cressy and Eric Hahn in third sets of their own, Zahraj took it upon himself to seal the deal. It was a rocky start for the Frankfurt am Main, Germany native, who dropped his first set against Tristan McCormick by a 6-3 score. Zahraj bounced back in the second, taking the final two games to set up a third frame. Like Nanda, Zahraj was a force in the final frame, as the win was clinched with a 6-2 undoing.
Four freshmen took the court in singles play Friday, as Eric Hahn joined Nanda, Tsolakyan and Zahraj. The Fullerton, Calif. native won his first set, but the match was left unfinished.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,4,2,3
Players Mentioned
