The final score in NCAA tennis can be very misleading.
No. 10 UCLA men’s tennis (13-4, 2-0 Pac-12) defeated Washington and No. 23 Oregon 4-0 and 4-3, respectively, on back-to-back days to open their Pac-12 conference schedule.
While the scorecard shows a clean sweep against the Huskies, the Bruins were a game away from losing on singles courts three and five and a set down on court one. Junior Logan Staggs sealed the victory with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Washington’s Gal Hakak.
On the next day, UCLA stormed to a 3-0 lead against the Ducks. Staggs once again had an opportunity to clinch the match and secure a sweeping victory on court four, but lost the tiebreaker in the second set.
“He started hitting some big balls and being aggressive,” said Staggs of the second set. “It was a close match that could have gone either way.”
By midway through Staggs’ third set, Orgeon had won on singles courts three, six and one to tie the game up 3-3.
Both teams anxiously watched from the adjoining court as Staggs bounced back in the third set. His teammates mobbed him after a forehand from Oregon’s Jayson Amos went wide and secured Staggs’ 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 win, clinching the match for UCLA.
The southpaw has begun to develop a reputation for lengthy matches. Eight of Staggs’ 17 singles matches this season have gone three sets.
In contrast, No. 39 junior Martin Redlicki has made quick work of his opponents in his five-game singles winning streak. During the stretch, he has been one of the first three to finish on the singles court.
After easily winning the first set 6-1 and going up 4-2 Saturday, he allowed Oregon’s Simon Stevens comeback to tie it up at 5-5, before winning the final two games.
“I lost my focus a little bit in the second set,” Redlicki said. “A good lesson learnt to keep your focus the entire time.”
After the match, Redlicki went over and consoled his opponent, who was noticeably upset by the refereeing.
“The referee was making questionable calls on both sides of the court,” Redlicki said. “I just told him, ‘Hey, that happens. It’s just one of those days.’”
UCLA received a boost by winning the doubles point in both matches. After dropping the doubles point in five straight matches from mid-February to mid-March, the Bruins have earned the doubles point in four of their last five matches. In the 10 games UCLA has won the doubles point, it is 9-1.
The two victories moved them a step closer to their season goals.
“Our three main goals this season is to be conference champions, NCAA champions, and defend our turf,” said coach Billy Martin.
They hold a pristine 10-0 record at home, and have passed their first two tests in the Pac-12 conference.