The Bruins relied on veterans to secure a win in their Pac-12 season opener.
No. 20 UCLA men’s tennis (6-4) defeated No. 41 Utah (12-4) in Salt Lake City on Friday. In addition to the doubles point, senior Maxime Cressy, junior Ben Goldberg and freshman Govind Nanda took home singles wins en route the 4-2 victory.
Goldberg clinched the team win with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory at No. 5 singles. Goldberg was initially down 2-0 in the third set after splitting the first two sets, but he said his awareness of the other courts helped him focus and improve his play.
“While playing toward the end of the match, I knew that courts 2, 4, and 6 were kind of struggling,” Goldberg said. “But that really made me focus and hunker down. After getting down early in the third, I just had to lock in.”
Utah had not previously lost at home this season, and its courts sit over 4,000 feet above sea level, causing the balls to fly faster through the thinner air. The courts are also indoors, adding another level of speed to the already fast-paced conditions.
Goldberg said the altitude not only altered the way the players played during the match, but also the Bruins’ preparation beforehand.
“The altitude was difficult for all of us,” Goldberg said. “The balls can fly 10 feet over, so before the match we all had to adjust our string tension. It’s about being careful, because early in the sets the balls are rockets.”
Cressy said that while the conditions were different, they also added to some of the strengths of his game.
“We only had a few days before to play there, so there was a short time to adapt to the conditions,” Cressy said. “The conditions were a big advantage for my serve and attacking game. At altitude, with the ball going faster, it’s very hard to pass me.”
This was also the first dual match for UCLA in 10 days, with only the Pacific Coast Doubles tournament in between. Cressy said this time to rest, especially without playing in the doubles tournament, was very helpful leading up to the Utah match.
“The week off was really useful to train super hard and work on my game,” Cressy said. “Also, it provided a good time for me to rest and catch up on schoolwork as well.”
Cressy and redshirt sophomore Connor Rapp won the No. 1 doubles point. After the No. 3 doubles match ended in favor of Utah, sophomore Keegan Smith and Nanda won the No. 2 doubles match in a 7-3 tiebreak to seal the doubles point for UCLA.
Smith returned to the lineup after recovering from an ankle injury suffered on Feb. 15. Coach Billy Martin said Smith’s presence in the lineup was a large part of the reason the Bruins emerged from Friday with a win.
“(Smith) saved us,” Martin said. “He won the deciding doubles point, which was a huge deciding factor. Even though it was obvious he didn’t have his best stuff in singles mobilitywise, he came through clutch in doubles to get our team a crucial point.”
Martin said Friday’s win was a quality team win, and also a great way for the team to start their Pac-12 slate of matches.
“(Utah is) a tough place to come in and leave with a win, and they gutted it out today,” Martin said. “Yes, it’s fun that it was the first Pac-12 match and we started off with a victory, but ultimately we did what we had to, as a team, to get the win.”
The Bruins will continue their conference slate against UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.