UCLA
Utah
Men's Tennis Tops Utah in Pac-12 Opener
March 08, 2019 | Men's Tennis
SALT LAKE CITY โ The No. 20 UCLA men's tennis team held on to defeat No. 41 Utah 4-2 in the teams' Pac-12 opener Friday at George S. Eccles Tennis Center.
Ben Goldberg provided the heroics for the Bruins (6-4, 1-0), securing his clinching three-set victory with an ace on Court 5. UCLA got the day started by picking up the doubles point in suspenseful fashion before Govind Nanda and Maxime Cressy set up Goldberg for the decider. David Micevski and Russell Benkaim claimed singles wins for the Utes (12-4, 0-1).
UCLA got off on the right foot in doubles play, as Cressy and Connor Rapp teamed for a dominant performance on the top court. Facing off with Micevski and Slava Shainyan, the Bruin duo cruised to a 6-1 win. It marked the pair's second win in as many tries, having previously teamed up during the ITA Team Indoor Championships.
The tandem of Bryce Pereira and Patrick Zahraj was forced to answer an early break by Bekaim and Joe Woolley and did just that, taking a 5-4 lead on Court 3. The Ute duo took the final three games and the win, however, setting up an all-or-nothing affair on Court 2.
Neither side could gain an edge between Nanda-Keegan Smith and Randy Cory-Dan Little, as the meeting culminated in a tiebreaker. There, the Bruins took charge, notching a 7-3 win to put the Bruins on the board. Nanda and Smith had not previously teamed up.
Nanda continued to shine in singles play, improving his record to 11-3 overall and 8-2 in dual matches. His 6-2, 6-3 win over Shainyan on Court 3 gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
Next off the courts was No. 118 Cressy, who dealt 64th-ranked Little a straight-set loss on the top court. The 6-4, 6-1 decision marked the first win over a ranked opponent by the senior, who improved to 5-1 overall.
The Utes began their comeback on Court 2, where Micevski topped No. 98 Smith, 6-3, 6-4. Playing in his first match since Feb. 15, Smith hung tough after falling behind 0-4 in the second set. The sophomore pulled to within 4-5 before succumbing. Benkaim soon followed with a 6-3, 6-4 win of his own against Zahraj, pulling Utah to within 3-2.
With Goldberg and Mathew Tsolakyan in third sets on Courts 5 and 6, the junior took charge. Trailing 0-2, Goldberg answered with six of the next seven games to win. Up 40-0 with the match on the line, he served up an ace to give the Bruins the win.
UCLA will return home Thursday, March 14 to face UC Santa Barbara in a non-conference match. First serve from the Los Angeles Tennis Center is set for 3 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs Utah
3/8/2019 at Salt Lake City, UT
(George S. Eccles Tennis Center)
#20 UCLA 4, #41 Utah 2
Singles competition
1. #118 Maxime Cressy (UCLA) def. #64 Dan Little (UTAH) 6-4, 6-1
2. David Micevski (UTAH) def. #98 Keegan Smith (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
3. #46 Govind Nanda (UCLA) def. Slava Shainyan (UTAH) 6-2, 6-3
4. Russell Benkaim (UTAH) def. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
5. Ben Goldberg (UCLA) def. Mathias Gavelin (UTAH) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
6. Joe Woolley (UTAH) vs. #106 Mathew Tsolakyan (UCLA) 6-4, 5-7, 4-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Maxime Cressy/Connor Rapp (UCLA) def. David Micevski/Slava Shainyan (UTAH) 6-1
2. Govind Nanda/Keegan Smith (UCLA) def. Randy Cory/Dan Little (UTAH) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Russell Benkaim/Joe Woolley (UTAH) def. Bryce Pereira/Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 7-5
Match Notes
UCLA 6-4; National ranking #20
Utah 12-4; National ranking #41
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,1,2,4,5)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2,4,5
Players Mentioned
