The men’s tennis schedule is out, and one Bruin is already set to compete next week.
Sophomore Keegan Smith will kick off competition for the Bruins in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he will be participating in the Saint Francis Health System ITA Men’s All-American Championship.
The ITA Men’s All-American Championship has been hosted every year for the past 13 seasons, featuring some of the highest ranked collegiate players. Smith qualified for the main draw, which features 64 players where automatic entry is given to the returning champion, the ITA Summer National Championships Champion, Regional Representation and players from the top 20 of the ITA rankings last year.
“I’m excited for the Tulsa tournament coming up. Hopefully, I can do well there and get some good matches under belt before the season starts,” Smith said.
Coach Billy Martin said the matches will be good practice for Smith, who will compete with some of the best opponents in the country as he prepares to lead the UCLA team this season.
“He’s only a sophomore and he had a fantastic year last year,” Martin said. “Right now (Smith) might look like the person that can step in and play number one, although that’s not a guarantee, as he is going to have to earn that. That’s why we have these fall tournaments, where each of our guys are going to be able to show me as a coach what they’re doing and how they are playing.”
Martin said that it is often hard for him to watch all of his team as they travel across the country, but he is excited to return to normal practice. The season is set to begin, but without the senior that led the team last season, graduated senior Martin Redlicki, and the No. 2 singles player, then-sophomore Evan Zhu.
“We’re expecting big things from (Smith) this year,” Martin said. “Because we are losing our number one guy (Redlicki) and looks like our No. 2 player (Zhu) is not going to come back and play for us, as he is giving 100 percent to pro tennis.”
Zhu has not confirmed he is leaving the UCLA men’s tennis team this year and is still weighing his options, but he will not be participating in any fall tournaments in 2018.
Redlicki and Zhu claimed the Bruins’ 13th NCAA Doubles Championship last season and led the UCLA line for most of last year. Redlicki posted a 29-7 singles record and went 23-5 in doubles. As a senior, he finished No. 1 in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings and was named to the ITA Collegiate All-Star Team.
Smith finished his freshman season with a 40-7 singles record and logged 21-15 in doubles. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year as well as the ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year. Smith said he is ready to fill the void left by Redlicki and Zhu in the lineup.
“I think that a couple of the seniors left and I am probably going to play at the top of the lineup,” Smith said. “So I’m going to have to set a good example for the younger guys and I’m excited for that.”
The Bruins are adding five freshmen to the roster this season and Smith said his experiences from last season will help him develop a connection with them.
“I’ll definitely help them with all of that stuff. I mean, I went through a year of it,” Smith said. “The atmosphere is just a little different when you’re playing on the college stage. There’s the crowd and the team is intense when you’re playing another team so there’s a lot of different factors.”
Matchplay for the main draw matches will begin Thursday and the tournament will last until Oct. 8.