Hot weather and changes in the normal lineup may have caused some nerves in the UCLA men’s tennis team’s opening conference dual matches this past weekend, but the Bruins came prepared to keep their perfect home record intact.
UCLA got off to a 2-0 start in Pac-12 play with a 7-0 win over Oregon Friday and a 6-1 defeat of Washington Saturday, extending the Bruins’ home record to 10-0 on the year.
“We have been playing really well at home,” said freshman Martin Redlicki. “(Coach Billy Martin) is just really happy – more with the way we are competing and playing, more so than just getting the wins. If we are getting wins, but not playing well, he wouldn’t be as happy.”
Friday, the No. 15 Bruins played the Ducks in blazing hot weather at the Los Angeles Tennis Center – conditions the Ducks are not use to facing in Eugene, Ore.
As the sun beat down, UCLA took the early lead by winning the doubles point.
After doubles, the Bruins went on to rout the Ducks in the singles portion of the dual match. UCLA’s No. 6 singles player, redshirt junior Ryoto Tachi, was the first to finish, beating his opponent 6-1, 6-1. The win was nearly a complete flip from Tachi’s last performance two weeks ago, when he lost to USC’s Max de Vroome 6-0, 6-0.
UCLA then went on to clinch the Oregon match with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles courts, as senior Dennis Mkrtchian and Redlicki both captured straight-set victories. The Bruins won the rest of the matches in the dual meet. UCLA is now 23-0 in the all-time series against Oregon.
The Bruins didn’t have too much time to rest after their dual match with the Ducks, as they had to play the Washington Huskies the next day.
Once again, UCLA began the match strong with the victory in the doubles point, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead over the Huskies. Redlicki won the second point at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 6-2.
UCLA earned its third point from the No. 6 singles position, where sophomore Joseph Di Giulio defeated Jeff Hawke 6-2, 6-2. Di Giulio has been out of the singles lineup up as of late because of his performance so far in the season. This past weekend was his first action in singles in a while.
“(Di Giulio) had an unbelievably good win at the Calabasas Futures Tournament,” Martin said. “He beat Illinois’ No.1 or No. 2 player, and they are ranked No. 3 in the country. That’s an outstanding win for him. That’s a very good player. That really got my attention.”
Martin said he expects Di Guilio, freshman Austin Rapp and Tachi to be fighting for the No. 6 singles position. He said he doesn’t know who deserves it as of yet.
The clinching point for UCLA came from the No. 1 singles spot, where Mkrtchian won 6-4,6-3.
The lone loss from the Bruins came from Rapp at the No. 5 singles spot. Rapp dropped the match in a close 10-point tiebreak in place of a third set.
UCLA is now on a three-game win streak after suffering a tough loss against crosstown rival USC on March 14. In addition, the Bruins are still undefeated at home, boasting a record of 10-0 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
“(Martin) just said keep it going,” Mkrtchian said. “We are playing well and hopefully we start peaking soon.”
UCLA’s No. 1 missing from lineup
Martin said he was a little nervous going into the Bruins’ Pac-12 opening weekend without the nation’s No. 4 singles player, sophomore Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald, who normally plays No.1 singles and doubles, was absent because he was playing in the USTA Men’s Pro Tennis Championship of Calabasas that started on March 23. Several Bruins participated, but McDonald was the only to qualify for the main draw. He made it to the semifinal and played former Bruin Dennis Novikov, losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
This caused the lineup to shift and left Redlicki, McDonald’s usual doubles partner, to team up with sophomore Gage Brymer for the two dual matches. McDonald is expected to be back in the lineup for UCLA’s dual matches next weekend, which come against Utah and Arizona at home.