UCLA
Arizona State
Men's Tennis Set to Close Regular Season at Home
April 16, 2019 | Men's Tennis
The No. 14 UCLA men's tennis team brings a 10-match winning streak into the final week of the regular season with home matches versus No. 27 Arizona State and No. 24 Arizona on tap. Los Angeles Tennis Center will host the Pac-12 contests beginning Friday at 3 p.m. against the Sun Devils. The Wildcats will drop in Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Bruins' Senior Day, when Maxime Cressy will be honored. UCLA holds sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 at 6-0, followed by USC at 5-1 and ASU at 4-2. Live stats will be available throughout the week at uclalivestats.com.
LAST WEEK
UCLA went 3-0, turning in home wins against local foe Pepperdine and Pac-12 rivals Oregon and Washington. The Bruins put the non-conference portion of its schedule to bed Tuesday, April 9, defeating the Waves 4-1. Freshman Eric Hahn posted the first clinching win of his young career on Court 6, while Cressy and Govind Nanda also turned in straight-set victories for the home team. UCLA posted another 4-1 victory against the Ducks on Friday, April 12, as Hahn provided the heroics for the second match in a row. Cressy and Keegan Smith also notched straight-set wins on the top two courts. The Bruins concluded the week with a 4-0 sweep of Washington on Saturday, April 13, as Nanda clinched the decision with a straight-set win on Court 3. Smith and Hahn continued personal winning streaks to round out the day's singles wins. UCLA took the doubles point to begin each match and has now done so in nine straight matches.
UCLA VS. ARIZONA STATE, ARIZONA
UCLA holds a 63-3 all-time record against Arizona State. Nearly a decade to the day since the program's last trip to the Whiteman Tennis Center, the Bruins defeated the Sun Devils 4-2 on April 13, 2018. ASU jumped out to an early advantage by claiming the doubles point, but UCLA rallied to take four of the five finished matches in singles play. The Bruins are 71-1 versus the Wildcats, most recently recording a 4-0 win on April 15, 2018. The victory sealed an undefeated Pac-12 road schedule for UCLA, which got a big performance from Evan Zhu. The sophomore clinched the win and also teamed with Martin Redlicki to capture the doubles point.
NANDA NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR APRIL 8-14
Nanda was selected Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of April 8-14, the conference announced Tuesday. Nanda capped an unbeaten team and individual week by defeating Piers Foley of Washington in straight sets to clinch a 4-0 win versus the Huskies Saturday, April 13. The freshman also topped Pepperdine's Enrique Luque Rico in dominant fashion earlier in the week, surrendering just three total games en route to the second point of a 4-1 victory (April 9). The Redlands, Calif. native's partnership with Connor Rapp has also been successful of late, as the tandem recorded two more wins. The second of which, a 6-1 dismantling of Washington's Kawika Lam-Enzo Sommer on Court 2, clinched the doubles point. UCLA has won 10 straight matches and nine straight doubles points, with Nanda and Rapp paired for the past eight contests. The honor marks the first of Nanda's career and 42nd all time for the UCLA men's tennis program. The award also represents the team's third of the season, tying the Bruins for the conference lead.
BRUINS IN THE RANKINGS
The Bruins are at No. 14 in the latest Oracle ITA team rankings, announced Tuesday. UCLA is also represented by three top-50 singles players and a top-10 doubles pair. Cressy, who is 10-3 on the year with three ranked wins, is up to a career-best No. 20. Smith is in at No. 37, while Nanda rounds out the trio at No. 45. The tandem of Cressy and Smith, meanwhile, remained in the top five of the doubles list at No. 5. The combination of Cressy and Nanda completes the list of Bruins in the rankings at No. 76. The team moved up to No. 8 in the Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25 Rankings, most recently updated Wednesday, April 10.
CHASING HISTORY
During head coach Billy Martin's 26 years, UCLA men's tennis teams have posted an overall record of 590-122 (.829). Martin is second on the program's all-time coaching wins list, just two victories behind predecessor and mentor Glenn Bassett, who led the Bruins from 1967-1993. Bassett racked up seven NCAA titles and a career mark of 592-92-2 (.863).
HOME COOKING
With its latest wins over Pepperdine, Oregon and Washinton and a 10-0 home record on the dual-match season, UCLA has captured 57 consecutive on-campus matches dating back to the 2014-15 campaign. The Bruins won all 16 of their matches at LATC in 2018, outscoring opponents by an 82-8 margin. They tallied 12 sweeps in those matches and never surrendered more than two points. Including a pair of NCAA Championships triumphs, UCLA went 16-0 at Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts as construction moved them out of LATC in 2017. The Bruins also held an unblemished home mark in 2016, as they won all 13 of their matches at LATC.
CRESSY NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR MARCH 25-31
Cressy was voted Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of March 25-31, the conference announced Tuesday, April 5. UCLA posted a 3-0 week and Cressy clinched each of the wins, culminating in the program's first NorCal road sweep since 2013. He got started with a straight-set defeat of No. 86 Lukas Moenter of Loyola Marymount at LATC March 27. On March 29, with Stanford up a set in the other remaining match, Cressy took matter into his own hands. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native notched the highest-ranked win of his career, dispatching of No. 8 Axel Geller with a 7-5, 6-4 result to ensure the Bruins' upset victory of the No. 10 Cardinal. Perhaps his finest performance came March 30 against California. Trailing 3-6, 0-5 versus Yuta Kikuchi of California, Cressy took 13 of the next 15 games—including a second-set tiebreaker—to complete the unlikeliest of comebacks. Cressy and Smith also teamed for three impressive doubles wins. Each one came against a ranked opponent and the pair's 7-6(6) edging of No. 43 Geller and Alexandre Rotsaert of Stanford clinched the doubles point. All of Cressy's wins came on Court 1. The award marks the second of Cressy's season, fifth of his career and 41st all time for the UCLA men's tennis program.
CRESSY NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR MARCH 4-10
Cressy was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of March 4-10, the conference announced Tuesday, March 12. The Bruins traveled to the unfamiliar confines of Utah for their Pac-12 opener (March 8) and returned winners, thanks in large part to Cressy. The 6-7 big server controlled his match against 64th-ranked Dan Little of Utah, registering a 6-4, 6-1 victory on Court 1 to give his team a 3-0 cushion. UCLA would go on to win 4-2. The triumph marked Cressy's first against a nationally-ranked opponent this season. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native also teamed with Connor Rapp to establish momentum in doubles play, beating David Micevski and Slava Shainyan 6-1 on the top court. Cressy now holds a 5-1 record in singles matches and a 9-0 mark in doubles play. The award represents the fourth of Cressy's career and 40th all time for the UCLA men's tennis program. He earned the honor a league-high three times in 2018.
FRESH FACES
The UCLA singles lineup has undergone a youth movement over the course of the dual-match season, as four true freshmen have played roles. In their Feb. 26 win over visiting Grand Canyon, three of those first-year players—Nanda, Eric Hahn and Mathew Tsolakyan—tallied wins. Tsolakyan provided the clinching point in a 4-2 victory. Nanda leads the team with 13 dual-match singles victories. Zahraj has also been a pivotal part of the Bruins' singles and doubles lineups, participating in each match and securing marquee wins over No. 11 Notre Dame on Feb. 15 and No. 9 USC on April 5. For good measure, freshman Max Wild teamed with Nanda for a doubles win in the GCU match.
2017-18 IN REVIEW
The Bruins turned in one of the finest seasons put together by a Billy Martin-coached team, posting 30 wins for the first time in his 25 years at the helm. The Pac-12 regular-season and tournament champions won 19 consecutive matches down the stretch—including an 8-0 record in conference play—before bowing out against Ohio State in the NCAA Championships semifinal round. Martin Redlicki (Singles Player of the Year), Redlicki-Evan Zhu (Doubles Team of the Year), Smith (Freshman of the Year) and Martin (Coach of the Year) swept the Pac-12 year-end awards. The year of tremendous team success ended with standout individual performances, as Redlicki-Zhu won the 13 NCAA doubles title in program history. Smith and Austin Rapp reached the doubles semifinal round, while Redlicki made the NCAA Singles Championships final four.
DE VILLIERS PROMOTED
Rikus de Villiers was elevated to the position of assistant coach with UCLA men's tennis on June 18, 2018. A familiar face to the program, de Villiers served in the role of volunteer assistant coach for five of the past six seasons. He replaced Grant Chen, who was named head coach at Southern Methodist University. De Villiers joined the UCLA staff in the fall of 2012 and immediately aided the Bruins in their run to the final round of the NCAA Championships the following spring. Over the course of his five seasons on staff, UCLA registered an overall record of 124-28 (.816) and dropped just two regular-season Pac-12 matches (32-2). The Bruins also secured three Pac-12 Tournament titles during de Villiers' time as a volunteer. He coached American Ryan Harrison on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour during his time away from the program in 2015-16. Wil Martin assumed the role of volunteer assistant coach.
KATZ FAMILY SCOREBOARD
UCLA tennis and the UCLA Athletic Department debuted the Katz Family Scoreboard Wednesday, Jan. 9 in front of donors and special invited guests at LATC. The ceremony culminated in a ribbon cutting by the Katz Family, Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero, Martin and women's tennis head coach Stella Sampras Webster. Each, along with Sr. Associate Athletic Director, External Relations Josh Rebholz, made remarks highlighting the meaning of the Katz Family's generous donation and the opportunities the scoreboard will provide the UCLA tennis programs. The Katz Family Scoreboard's Daktronics display, measuring 18 feet high and 31.2 feet wide, is among the largest LED video screens in collegiate tennis. Stationed at the east end of LATC's main stadium courts, the board has a 13HD pixel pitch capable of switching between content playback mode and video mode using Show Control. RGB LED lights, meanwhile, will allow for a multitude of graphics possibilities. Also new to the match-day experience is a custom JBL speaker system set to improve audio on the front courts while introducing sound to the back courts.
FALL BALL
It was a busy tournament season for a number of Bruins, including six who made their debuts in blue and gold. Smith got things started on one of the fall's biggest stages, winning once before falling in three sets against top-seeded Nuno Borges of Mississippi State. Hahn reached the singles Round of 16 at the ITA Regional Championships, while Smith-Bryce Pereira was dealt a quarterfinal-round loss in doubles play. Hahn again impressed with a singles quarterfinal-round berth at the SoCal Intercollegiate Championships, while Pereira and Wild made the quarterfinal round in doubles action. Smith reached the singles and doubles (with partner Hance) semifinals at the Jack Kramer Collegiate Tournament. Rapp advanced to the Flight One singles and doubles (with Lucas Bellamy) championship rounds of the Larry Easley Memorial Classic before coming up short in each, though Pereira and Wild did prove victorious in the doubles final. Rapp led the way with seven fall singles wins, while Hahn (six), Wild (six) and Tsolakyan (one) notched the first victories of their respective careers. Pereira and Wild each posted a 7-2 doubles record, including a 5-1 mark as partners. In January, the doubles pair of Nanda and Smith collected the Sherwood Collegiate Cup doubles title, while each also reached the semifinal round of the singles draw. Zahraj joined Nanda in debuting at Sherwood, while Roscoe Bellamy saw his first action at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic one week prior.
PROFESSIONAL BRUINS
Cressy played the role of underdog on the way to his first singles title on the ATP Challenger Tour, taking the top spot at the Cleveland Open on Feb. 2. His 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over former Ohio State player Mikael Torpegaard elevated him to a career-best ranking of No. 313 among singles players on the ATP World Tour. He has also shined in doubles play, tallying nine ITF Futures titles since Oct. 2017 and picking up his first ATP Challenger title with partner Bernardo Saraiva Jan. 12 in Columbus, Ohio. Cressy is not the only Bruin having success in professional tournaments this year. One year after reaching the second round of the Australian Open before taking third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov to five sets, Mackenzie McDonald again advanced into the Grand Slam's second round, defeating Andrey Rublev of Russia, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. He has also reached the final round of the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas and the semifinal round of the Delray Beach Open this month. Marcos Giron also got off on the right foot in 2019, defeating Darian King of Barbados, 6-4, 6-4, in the Orlando Open singles final. It marked the first ATP Challenger Tour singles title of Giron's career. The 2014 NCAA singles champion teamed with former Virginia player JC Aragone to claim another Challenger title when the pair earned the doubles title at Indian Wells, Calif. Giron also had a memorable week at the BNP Paribas Open, where he made an improbable run to the Round of 32 after advancing through qualifiers. For good measure, Nanda knocked off the recently-graduated Redlicki, 4-6, 7-6, 6-0, in the Tucson Futures singles final on Jan. 13.
HEAD COACH BILLY MARTIN
Martin is in his 26th season as head coach of the Bruins, and 36th on the staff. During his tenure, Martin's teams have accumulated 14 conference championships and the 2005 NCAA title. Just two of Martin's teams have finished outside of the top five teams at the season-ending NCAA Championships. They have also not finished outside of the top three teams in the Pac- 12 standings. He has earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors five times (1996, 2012-14, 2018) and the ITA National Coach of the Year award once (1996). Martin has also led three players (Benjamin Kohlloeffel in 2006, Marcos Giron in 2014 and Mackenzie McDonald in 2016) to the NCAA singles title and three pairs (Gimelstob-Muskatirovic in 1996, McDonald-Redlicki in 2016 and Redlicki-Zhu in 2018) to the NCAA doubles crown. An ITA Tennis Hall of Famer, Martin was named the "Junior Player of the Century" by Inside Tennis Magazine. Before turning pro, he played one season at UCLA (1975), during which the Bruins captured an NCAA team championship. He also won the NCAA singles championship. Martin holds an overall record of 590-122 (.829) overall and a 163-27 (.858) mark in Pac-12 play.
Players Mentioned
