UCLA
Grand Canyon
Men's Tennis Rolls Past GCU Into Second Round
May 03, 2019 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ The 11th-seeded UCLA men's tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships Friday, defeating Grand Canyon 4-0 at Los Angeles Tennis Center.
UCLA will face Oklahoma State Saturday at 3 p.m., PT, with the winner earning a spot in the third round at a site to be determined. The Cowboys defeated Ole Miss 4-1 in Friday's opener to improve their overall record to 16-11.
The Bruins (18-5) registered straight-set wins on Courts 1, 2 and 5, with Maxime Cressy completing the sweep on the top court. Ben Goldberg and Keegan Smith also came out victorious. UCLA surrendered just two total games in doubles play to get off on the right foot. Grand Canyon's season came to an end with its first trip to the NCAA Championships and a record of 19-7.
UCLA took control of doubles play early and kept it throughout, registering 5-0 leads on both Courts 2 and 3. The Bruins' undefeated top-court tandem of All-Americans Maxime Cressy and Keegan Smith jumped out to a 5-2 lead on Lorenzo Fucile and Mathieu Rajaonah before the match was left unfinished.
Court 3's Bryce Pereira and Patrick Zahraj put the first win on the board for UCLA, dealing Freddie Grant and Lucas Grego a 6-1 defeat. A stalwart on the bottom court, Pereira-Zahraj improved to 13-8 on the campaign.
Locking up the first point of the day was Govind Nanda and Connor Rapp on Court 2. The pair, which has now won six of its last eight decisions, picked up a 6-1 win of its own against Lopes Valentin Lang and Jakub Novak. Three of those six wins by Cressy-Nanda clinched the doubles point.
The Bruins secured all six first sets in singles play, with Nanda completing the sweep via tiebreaker on Court 3.
Goldberg took the first 10 games of his match against Grant on Court 5 to put the Bruins near their second point with first sets still concluding. The GCU sophomore managed two games late, but Goldberg executed a drop shot to hold for his 11th win of the year.
Smith continued his personal winning streak on Court 2, topping Mathieu Rajaonah 6-3, 6-3 for his 11th victory in a row. Of his wins during the run, all but one has come in straight sets. The latest made it 3-0 with Cressy and Eric Hahn each nearing victory.
The decider would be delivered by the senior, who received some challenge from Lorenzo Fucile on Court 1 before completing the 6-1, 6-4 result. A powerful serve was too hot to handle for Fucile, granting UCLA access to the second day of action.
Tennis Match Results
Grand Canyon vs UCLA
5/3/2019 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#11 UCLA 4, Grand Canyon 0
Singles competition
1. #18 Maxime Cressy (UCLA) def. Lorenzo Fucile (GCU) 6-1, 6-4
2. #36 Keegan Smith (UCLA) def. Mathieu Rajaonah (GCU) 6-3, 6-3
3. #68 Govind Nanda (UCLA) vs. Valentin Lang (GCU) 7-6 (8-6), 2-1, unfinished
4. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) vs. Lucas Grego (GCU) 7-5, 1-4, unfinished
5. Ben Goldberg (UCLA) def. Freddie Grant (GCU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Eric Hahn (UCLA) vs. Jakub Novak (GCU) 6-3, 5-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #2 Maxime Cressy/Keegan Smith (UCLA) vs. Lorenzo Fucile/Mathieu Rajaonah (GCU) 5-2, unfinished
2. Govind Nanda/Connor Rapp (UCLA) def. Valentin Lang/Jakub Novak (GCU) 6-1
3. Bryce Pereira/Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) def. Freddie Grant/Lucas Grego (GCU) 6-1
Match Notes:
Grand Canyon 19-7
UCLA 18-5; National ranking #11
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,2,1)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,2,1
Players Mentioned
