Sunday, February 25
Los Angeles, CA
1:00 PM
UCLA
vs
UNLV
Spencer Johnson (left) and Emon van Loben Sels
Photo by: Jesus Ramirez
No. 25 Men's Tennis Hosts UNLV Sunday
February 23, 2024 | Men's Tennis
MATCH INFORMATION
Date/Time: Sunday, Feb. 25/1:00 PM PT
Live Stream: https://ucla.in/3iQZgjc
Live Stats: https://ucla.in/3iQZgjc
Series vs. UNLV: UCLA leads 18-0
Last Meeting vs. UNLV: UCLA won 6-1 on March 2, 2021
THIS WEEK
No. 25 UCLA begins a seven-match homestand Sunday at 1 p.m. PT, when it welcomes UNLV to Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins (4-2) enter the contest winners of four in a row, including three away from home. The Rebels (5-3) notched a victory in their most recent outing, beating host UC San Diego by a 4-3 score (Feb. 17).
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scoring and streaming will be available for all contests played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA beat Pepperdine in thrilling fashion Feb. 18, earning a 4-3 win at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. Spencer Johnson provided the heroics, completing the Bruins' comeback from a 3-2 deficit. Staring down a 4-5 score and three match points on the last court standing, Johnson climbed out of his third-set hole to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. UCLA won the doubles point and a straight-set victory by Aadarsh Tripathi helped the Bruins regain the lead at 2-1. The Waves picked up consecutive victories, meaning UCLA needed a three-set win on each of the remaining two courts. Thanks to the efforts of Govind Nanda on the top court and Johnson on Court 3, the Bruins would do just that.
UCLA VS. UNLV
UCLA is unbeaten across 18 meetings with UNLV. In the most recent matchup, on March 2, 2021, the Bruins dropped just two sets en route to a 6-1 defeat of the Rebels at Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA was led by its backcourt players, as each was victorious without surrendering more than two games in a set. Roscoe Bellamy clinched the overall win, following the efforts of Stefan Leustian and Sam Feit. UNLV got its lone point from Jordan Sauer.
IN THE RANKINGS
Riding a four-match winning streak, the Bruins were elevated to No. 25 in the ITA team rankings Friday. Winner of consecutive matchups with top-20 players, Govind Nanda climbed to No. 29 in the Feb. 20 installment of the singles rankings. Nanda, who is 5-2 in singles action, knocked off No. 18 Tyler Zink of Oklahoma State 7-5, 6-1 Jan. 30 and No. 28 Edward Winter of Pepperdine 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Feb. 18. Each victory was part of a 4-3 team win on the road. Nanda is 3-1 in dual-match singles play, with each of the decisions made on Court 1.
NANDA NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR JAN. 29-FEB. 4
Redshirt senior Govind Nanda was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 4, the conference announced Tuesday. Nanda had a hand in the Bruins' initial two points of their thrilling 4-3 victory at Oklahoma State (Jan. 30). Nanda and Alexander Hoogmartens dealt Leighton Allen and Erik Schiessl a 6-2 defeat on the third doubles court to put UCLA on the scoreboard first. Nanda then knocked off the nation's 18th-ranked singles player, Tyler Zink, 7-5, 6-1 on the top court to give his team a 2-1 lead. The Cowboys' loss was their first at Greenwood Tennis Center in four early-season matches. The third weekly honor of Nanda's career also marked his first since March 31, 2021. UCLA men's tennis has garnered 49 of the awards overall.
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.
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. Giron is off to a hot start in 2024, reaching the Dallas Open singles final. His run included straight sets victories opposite No. 14 Frances Tiafoe of the United States and No. 17 Adrian Mannarino of France. 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. 177), Giron (career-high 44) and McDonald (61) are currently ranked among the ATP's top 200 singles players. Rojer is 20th on the doubles list. McDonald (75, reached 49 in 2023) is also in the doubles top 100.
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 646-160 (.801) 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.
Date/Time: Sunday, Feb. 25/1:00 PM PT
Live Stream: https://ucla.in/3iQZgjc
Live Stats: https://ucla.in/3iQZgjc
Series vs. UNLV: UCLA leads 18-0
Last Meeting vs. UNLV: UCLA won 6-1 on March 2, 2021
THIS WEEK
No. 25 UCLA begins a seven-match homestand Sunday at 1 p.m. PT, when it welcomes UNLV to Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins (4-2) enter the contest winners of four in a row, including three away from home. The Rebels (5-3) notched a victory in their most recent outing, beating host UC San Diego by a 4-3 score (Feb. 17).
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scoring and streaming will be available for all contests played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA beat Pepperdine in thrilling fashion Feb. 18, earning a 4-3 win at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. Spencer Johnson provided the heroics, completing the Bruins' comeback from a 3-2 deficit. Staring down a 4-5 score and three match points on the last court standing, Johnson climbed out of his third-set hole to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. UCLA won the doubles point and a straight-set victory by Aadarsh Tripathi helped the Bruins regain the lead at 2-1. The Waves picked up consecutive victories, meaning UCLA needed a three-set win on each of the remaining two courts. Thanks to the efforts of Govind Nanda on the top court and Johnson on Court 3, the Bruins would do just that.
UCLA VS. UNLV
UCLA is unbeaten across 18 meetings with UNLV. In the most recent matchup, on March 2, 2021, the Bruins dropped just two sets en route to a 6-1 defeat of the Rebels at Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA was led by its backcourt players, as each was victorious without surrendering more than two games in a set. Roscoe Bellamy clinched the overall win, following the efforts of Stefan Leustian and Sam Feit. UNLV got its lone point from Jordan Sauer.
IN THE RANKINGS
Riding a four-match winning streak, the Bruins were elevated to No. 25 in the ITA team rankings Friday. Winner of consecutive matchups with top-20 players, Govind Nanda climbed to No. 29 in the Feb. 20 installment of the singles rankings. Nanda, who is 5-2 in singles action, knocked off No. 18 Tyler Zink of Oklahoma State 7-5, 6-1 Jan. 30 and No. 28 Edward Winter of Pepperdine 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Feb. 18. Each victory was part of a 4-3 team win on the road. Nanda is 3-1 in dual-match singles play, with each of the decisions made on Court 1.
NANDA NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR JAN. 29-FEB. 4
Redshirt senior Govind Nanda was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 4, the conference announced Tuesday. Nanda had a hand in the Bruins' initial two points of their thrilling 4-3 victory at Oklahoma State (Jan. 30). Nanda and Alexander Hoogmartens dealt Leighton Allen and Erik Schiessl a 6-2 defeat on the third doubles court to put UCLA on the scoreboard first. Nanda then knocked off the nation's 18th-ranked singles player, Tyler Zink, 7-5, 6-1 on the top court to give his team a 2-1 lead. The Cowboys' loss was their first at Greenwood Tennis Center in four early-season matches. The third weekly honor of Nanda's career also marked his first since March 31, 2021. UCLA men's tennis has garnered 49 of the awards overall.
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.
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. Giron is off to a hot start in 2024, reaching the Dallas Open singles final. His run included straight sets victories opposite No. 14 Frances Tiafoe of the United States and No. 17 Adrian Mannarino of France. 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. 177), Giron (career-high 44) and McDonald (61) are currently ranked among the ATP's top 200 singles players. Rojer is 20th on the doubles list. McDonald (75, reached 49 in 2023) is also in the doubles top 100.
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 646-160 (.801) 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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