The No. 8 UCLA men’s tennis team swept No. 63 San Diego State 7-0 in order to improve its record to 7-0 on Thursday afternoon.

After losing the doubles point in their last two matches against Cal and Stanford, the Bruins made a big effort to make sure that streak didn’t reach three games.

“The guys are doing what I have asked them to do as far as staying focused mentally and working really hard,” said coach Billy Martin. “Right now, I feel like we are in good condition … and I think that is helping us win a lot of matches.”

Redshirt senior Nick Meister and sophomore Adrien Puget won their match 8-3 against SDSU’s Hunter Nicholas and Javier Pulgar. Junior Warren Hardie and sophomore Clay Thompson defeated Rickey Baylon and Shiva Sangwan 8-4.

“We were really determined today to put in a good showing in doubles and we did just that,” Thompson said. “We needed a real big, strong win from our doubles, especially going against Pepperdine (next week) because they are going to be a really tough team.”

Redshirt junior Alex Brigham and freshman Marcos Giron, however, lost 8-7(5) to SDSU’s Thorsten Bertsch and Derek Siddiqui.

“Our teams are getting a little bit more used to each other,” Martin said. “I’m not panicked by any means, but it’s certainly an area where we have to improve.”

While the doubles featured some stiff competition, UCLA won all of its singles matches in order to complete the sweep of SDSU.

Meister defeated his opponent, Pulgar, in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.

“I just feel really comfortable out there right now,” Meister said. “(I’m) playing aggressive and taking my chances when I get them.”

Meanwhile, Thompson was able to beat Siddiqui in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

“I think I have been playing pretty well recently. I have been showing a lot of emotion, a lot of fire and I think that’s been key for me,” Thompson said. “It’s all about heart and all about wanting to win so badly and I think that’s (been) the main change for me. I’ve really been fighting with a lot of heart and that’s big.”

Puget won 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 against Baylon while junior Maxime Tabatruong defeated Nicholas in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Freshman Dennis Mkrtchian also dominated his opponent, Andranik Khachatryan, as he won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

“I have been really practicing hard and I feel really good about my game,” Mkrtchian said.

The closest match of the day was between Giron and Bertsch, and that matchup saw Giron fight back after a rough start to win 2-6, 6-2, (11-9).

“I was not playing my best tennis (today),” Giron said. “I was making a lot of mistakes early on, but then in the second set, I really cleaned it up once I was on a break and just grinded back.”

The Bruins hope that their success will carry over with them to next week when they face the talented Pepperdine Waves.

“There’s not a real weak spot in our lineup, so I’m just challenging the guys to make sure they go out and do their job on their court,” Martin said. “Play good, solid tennis. … That’s what is going to allow us to beat Pepperdine hopefully next Tuesday.”

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