Wednesday, January 17
Los Angeles, CA
1:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Texas A&M
Giacomo Revelli (right) and Timothy Li
Photo by: Sofia McMaster
Men's Tennis Hosts No. 19 Texas A&M in Season Opener Wednesday
January 16, 2024 | Men's Tennis
The UCLA men's tennis team starts the dual-match portion of its 2023-24 schedule Wednesday, when it welcomes No. 19 Texas A&M to Los Angeles Tennis Center. First serve is set for 1 p.m. PT. Free pizza will be available to the first 100 fans at the conclusion of doubles play.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA men's tennis matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scoring and streaming will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA rang in 2024 with hidden-dual singles and doubles matches at Sherwood Country Club. The Sherwood Collegiate Cup assembled No. 7 USC, No. 19 Texas A&M, California and the Bruins for the three-day holiday weekend. UCLA won four of five singles matchups and all three doubles matchups with its crosstown rival Sunday. Spencer Johnson downed No. 73 Lodewijk Weststrate of USC, while Timothy Li and Giacomo Revelli teamed to take down the 47th-ranked Trojan tandem of Samuel Rubell and Niroop Vallabhaneni. The Bruins prevailed at least twice on the doubles courts each day.
UCLA VS. TEXAS A&M
UCLA holds an all-time record of 7-2 against Texas A&M, with the Aggies winning each of the past two times the programs have met. Texas A&M hosted the most recent matchup in 2022, when it prevailed by a 4-0 score during ITA Kickoff Weekend. With the Bruins nearing victories on two singles courts, the Aggies completed their shutout. Guido Marson clinched the win for Texas A&M. Three contests went to third sets, but just one was completed. Patrick Zahraj of UCLA led by a 7-5, 6-5 score when the match was called. The Bruins most recently picked up a win in the series during the 2017 NCAA Championships, coming out on top of a 4-1 decision to reach the quarterfinals. Maxime Cressy logged the deciding win in straight sets.
FALL RECAP
Bruins were in action at five tournaments before the new year. They wrapped up 2023 with a championship performance at Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif, where freshmen and first-time partners Spencer Johnson and Emon van Loben Sels rolled to the Dennis Rizza Classic doubles title. Johnson and van Loben Sels beat the tournament's top three seeds โ including No. 2-seed Kai Brady/Lucca Liu of UC Santa Barbara in the final โ en route to the trophy. Johnson and van Loben Sels also turned in standout singles performances, with both reaching the semifinals. Johnson led UCLA with a 7-3 singles record and 6-3 doubles mark during the fall. Just behind him in both categories was van Loben Sels, who was 5-3 in singles matches and 4-1 in doubles play. Aadarsh Tripathi logged three singles wins, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the ITA Southwest Regional Championships.
IN THE RANKINGS
Gianluca Ballotta found himself in the ITA rankings for the first time in his career when the Nov. 15, 2023 installment was released, coming in at No. 121 on the singles list. When the 2022-23 season was completed, Alexander Hoogmartens held a singles ranking of 85. He reached a career high position of No. 15 on Feb. 8, 2023. As a team, UCLA finished 2023 at No. 35.
2022-23 IN REVIEW
UCLA came up just short in the NCAA Championships first round, falling to Northwestern by a 4-2 score in Lexington, Ky. The Bruins finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 12-11 record. They went 10-3 at Los Angeles Tennis Center. Individually, Giacomo Revelli and Patrick Zahraj were honored with spots on the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team. Revelli led UCLA with 15 total singles wins. Four Bruins (Jeffrey Fradkin, Timothy Li, Aadarsh Tripathi and Zahraj) put up 13 doubles victories apiece to tie for the team lead. Alexander Hoogmartens, despite not playing after Feb. 4, beat seven nationally-ranked singles opponents in 10 tries. He reached No. 15 in the ITA singles rankings.
WHO'S BACK?
UCLA returns 88% of its singles wins and 68% of its doubles victories from 2022-23, with Patrick Zahraj the lone departure. Gianluca Ballotta (10), Alexander Hoogmartens (12), Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team member Giacomo Revelli (15), Aadarsh Tripathi (13) and Azuma Visaya (14) each logged double-digit singles wins in 2022-23. Back on the doubles side are double-digit winners Jeffrey Fradkin (13), Timothy Li (13), Revelli (10) and Tripathi (13). Also making a return to the Bruins is Govind Nanda, who was 41-15 in singles play and 29-21 in doubles from 2018-2021. He is a two-time All-Conference Second Team honoree who has reached No. 10 in the ITA singles rankings and No. 13 on the doubles list.
WHO'S NEW?
Seeing action in blue and gold for the first time this season are a trio of Bruins: freshman Spencer Johnson (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Connections Academy), senior Jorge Plans Gonzalez (Barcelona, Spain/Clemson) and redshirt freshman Emon van Loben Sels (Sacramento, Calif./Visions in Education). Johnson, part of the Class of 2021, served a two-year Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission in Argentina before enrolling in time for the current academic year. He was tabbed a Blue Chip recruit by TennisRecruiting.net and slotted at No. 1 in the state of Utah and Mountain region. Plans Gonzalez went 50-28 in singles matches across three seasons at Clemson. He also logged 29 doubles victories. Plans Gonzalez, who earned a wild card into qualifying for the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open in his home country of Spain, occupied every spot in the singles and doubles lineups for the Tigers. Also a Blue Chip talent, van Loben Sels helped claim the Boys' 16 doubles title at the 2021 Easter Bowl in San Diego. He redshirted in 2022-23.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Former UCLA standouts continue to become household names in the professional ranks, with Maxime Cressy, Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald and Jean-Julien Rojer turning in notable results across the Grand Slams and on the ATP Tour. Cressy picked up his first ATP Tour championship and saw his singles ranking reach a career-best No. 31 when he beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan at the 2022 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I. An ATP doubles title followed for Cressy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he teamed with Fabrice Martin to take the 2023 Dubai Open's top prize. Giron reached the Roland-Garros singles third round for the second time in 2023. He also earned top-10 wins against Holger Rune of Denmark and Casper Ruud of Norway in subsequent 2023 tournaments. McDonald, who opened 2023 by beating top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal in three sets at the Australian Open, represented the United States at the Davis Cup Finals in Uzbekistan and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 37 the same year. Rojer collected his fourth Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros in 2022, teaming with Marcelo Arevalo to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the final. Rojer and Arevalo won three ATP championships in 2023. Cressy (No. 123), Giron (66, reached 49 in 2022) and McDonald (42) are currently ranked among the ATP's top 125 singles players. Rojer is 18th on the doubles list. Cressy is also in the doubles top 100, at No. 93. He reached No. 64 in 2023.
MORE MARTIN MILESTONES
Head coach Billy Martin is in his 31st year at the helm of the UCLA men's tennis program and this season marks his 41st since joining the staff of friend, mentor and fellow UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Glenn Bassett. Martin, who passed Bassett to became the program's all-time leader in head-coaching wins during the 2019 season, is the longest-tenured active coach at UCLA. He holds a career record of 642-158 (.803) as head coach. Martin guided the 2005 Bruins to the program's 16th NCAA team title and just six of his squads have finished outside the top five at the season-ending NCAA Championships. Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006), Marcos Giron (2014) and Mackenzie McDonald (2016) have earned NCAA singles titles on Martin's watch, while UCLA has become a frequent landing spot for doubles champions of late. In addition to 1996 winners Justin Gimelstob and Srdjan Muskatirovic, three of the most recent six titleholders โ McDonald/Martin Redlicki in 2016, Redlicki/Evan Zhu in 2018 and Maxime Cressy/Keegan Smith in 2019 โ have called Westwood home.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA men's tennis matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scoring and streaming will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA rang in 2024 with hidden-dual singles and doubles matches at Sherwood Country Club. The Sherwood Collegiate Cup assembled No. 7 USC, No. 19 Texas A&M, California and the Bruins for the three-day holiday weekend. UCLA won four of five singles matchups and all three doubles matchups with its crosstown rival Sunday. Spencer Johnson downed No. 73 Lodewijk Weststrate of USC, while Timothy Li and Giacomo Revelli teamed to take down the 47th-ranked Trojan tandem of Samuel Rubell and Niroop Vallabhaneni. The Bruins prevailed at least twice on the doubles courts each day.
UCLA VS. TEXAS A&M
UCLA holds an all-time record of 7-2 against Texas A&M, with the Aggies winning each of the past two times the programs have met. Texas A&M hosted the most recent matchup in 2022, when it prevailed by a 4-0 score during ITA Kickoff Weekend. With the Bruins nearing victories on two singles courts, the Aggies completed their shutout. Guido Marson clinched the win for Texas A&M. Three contests went to third sets, but just one was completed. Patrick Zahraj of UCLA led by a 7-5, 6-5 score when the match was called. The Bruins most recently picked up a win in the series during the 2017 NCAA Championships, coming out on top of a 4-1 decision to reach the quarterfinals. Maxime Cressy logged the deciding win in straight sets.
FALL RECAP
Bruins were in action at five tournaments before the new year. They wrapped up 2023 with a championship performance at Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif, where freshmen and first-time partners Spencer Johnson and Emon van Loben Sels rolled to the Dennis Rizza Classic doubles title. Johnson and van Loben Sels beat the tournament's top three seeds โ including No. 2-seed Kai Brady/Lucca Liu of UC Santa Barbara in the final โ en route to the trophy. Johnson and van Loben Sels also turned in standout singles performances, with both reaching the semifinals. Johnson led UCLA with a 7-3 singles record and 6-3 doubles mark during the fall. Just behind him in both categories was van Loben Sels, who was 5-3 in singles matches and 4-1 in doubles play. Aadarsh Tripathi logged three singles wins, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the ITA Southwest Regional Championships.
IN THE RANKINGS
Gianluca Ballotta found himself in the ITA rankings for the first time in his career when the Nov. 15, 2023 installment was released, coming in at No. 121 on the singles list. When the 2022-23 season was completed, Alexander Hoogmartens held a singles ranking of 85. He reached a career high position of No. 15 on Feb. 8, 2023. As a team, UCLA finished 2023 at No. 35.
2022-23 IN REVIEW
UCLA came up just short in the NCAA Championships first round, falling to Northwestern by a 4-2 score in Lexington, Ky. The Bruins finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 12-11 record. They went 10-3 at Los Angeles Tennis Center. Individually, Giacomo Revelli and Patrick Zahraj were honored with spots on the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team. Revelli led UCLA with 15 total singles wins. Four Bruins (Jeffrey Fradkin, Timothy Li, Aadarsh Tripathi and Zahraj) put up 13 doubles victories apiece to tie for the team lead. Alexander Hoogmartens, despite not playing after Feb. 4, beat seven nationally-ranked singles opponents in 10 tries. He reached No. 15 in the ITA singles rankings.
WHO'S BACK?
UCLA returns 88% of its singles wins and 68% of its doubles victories from 2022-23, with Patrick Zahraj the lone departure. Gianluca Ballotta (10), Alexander Hoogmartens (12), Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team member Giacomo Revelli (15), Aadarsh Tripathi (13) and Azuma Visaya (14) each logged double-digit singles wins in 2022-23. Back on the doubles side are double-digit winners Jeffrey Fradkin (13), Timothy Li (13), Revelli (10) and Tripathi (13). Also making a return to the Bruins is Govind Nanda, who was 41-15 in singles play and 29-21 in doubles from 2018-2021. He is a two-time All-Conference Second Team honoree who has reached No. 10 in the ITA singles rankings and No. 13 on the doubles list.
WHO'S NEW?
Seeing action in blue and gold for the first time this season are a trio of Bruins: freshman Spencer Johnson (Ladera Ranch, Calif./Connections Academy), senior Jorge Plans Gonzalez (Barcelona, Spain/Clemson) and redshirt freshman Emon van Loben Sels (Sacramento, Calif./Visions in Education). Johnson, part of the Class of 2021, served a two-year Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission in Argentina before enrolling in time for the current academic year. He was tabbed a Blue Chip recruit by TennisRecruiting.net and slotted at No. 1 in the state of Utah and Mountain region. Plans Gonzalez went 50-28 in singles matches across three seasons at Clemson. He also logged 29 doubles victories. Plans Gonzalez, who earned a wild card into qualifying for the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open in his home country of Spain, occupied every spot in the singles and doubles lineups for the Tigers. Also a Blue Chip talent, van Loben Sels helped claim the Boys' 16 doubles title at the 2021 Easter Bowl in San Diego. He redshirted in 2022-23.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Former UCLA standouts continue to become household names in the professional ranks, with Maxime Cressy, Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald and Jean-Julien Rojer turning in notable results across the Grand Slams and on the ATP Tour. Cressy picked up his first ATP Tour championship and saw his singles ranking reach a career-best No. 31 when he beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan at the 2022 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I. An ATP doubles title followed for Cressy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he teamed with Fabrice Martin to take the 2023 Dubai Open's top prize. Giron reached the Roland-Garros singles third round for the second time in 2023. He also earned top-10 wins against Holger Rune of Denmark and Casper Ruud of Norway in subsequent 2023 tournaments. McDonald, who opened 2023 by beating top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal in three sets at the Australian Open, represented the United States at the Davis Cup Finals in Uzbekistan and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 37 the same year. Rojer collected his fourth Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros in 2022, teaming with Marcelo Arevalo to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the final. Rojer and Arevalo won three ATP championships in 2023. Cressy (No. 123), Giron (66, reached 49 in 2022) and McDonald (42) are currently ranked among the ATP's top 125 singles players. Rojer is 18th on the doubles list. Cressy is also in the doubles top 100, at No. 93. He reached No. 64 in 2023.
MORE MARTIN MILESTONES
Head coach Billy Martin is in his 31st year at the helm of the UCLA men's tennis program and this season marks his 41st since joining the staff of friend, mentor and fellow UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Glenn Bassett. Martin, who passed Bassett to became the program's all-time leader in head-coaching wins during the 2019 season, is the longest-tenured active coach at UCLA. He holds a career record of 642-158 (.803) as head coach. Martin guided the 2005 Bruins to the program's 16th NCAA team title and just six of his squads have finished outside the top five at the season-ending NCAA Championships. Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006), Marcos Giron (2014) and Mackenzie McDonald (2016) have earned NCAA singles titles on Martin's watch, while UCLA has become a frequent landing spot for doubles champions of late. In addition to 1996 winners Justin Gimelstob and Srdjan Muskatirovic, three of the most recent six titleholders โ McDonald/Martin Redlicki in 2016, Redlicki/Evan Zhu in 2018 and Maxime Cressy/Keegan Smith in 2019 โ have called Westwood home.
Players Mentioned
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