UCLA wrote another chapter into its history books with a win over crosstown rival USC on Friday.
No. 13 UCLA men’s tennis (11-4, 4-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 9 USC (13-7, 3-1) 4-3 in a match that lasted three hours and 30 minutes.
The match came down to freshman Patrick Zahraj in a third set tie break – with the team score knotted at three. The freshman clinched the match with a backhand winner up the line to finish 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(7) after a back and forth tiebreak.
“I knew that if I was going to have a chance, I needed to play the big points well,” Zahraj said. “There wasn’t going to be many, so I was prepared for them, and it came down to being 110% focused on those points to win the match.”
As time wore on and more of the singles matches finished, the crowd began to spill over until all eyes were locked on Zahraj on Court 4. He said the crowd of hundreds of fans propelled him to his victory.
“The fans are the reason I won,” Zahraj said. “If they weren’t there rallied up it would have been a different match. I was struggling a bit in the third set, but the crowd’s energy helped me stick in there and keep believing. That’s what you practice for, matches like that.”
Both the UCLA and USC fans made their presence felt throughout the match, on multiple occasions causing players to complain to the umpires. Sophomore Keegan Smith said the key was to play his game and try to leave the crowd out of it.
“The fans helped and hurt everybody a little bit today,” Smith said. “It was pretty chaotic, especially in the second set of my match. If you get too into the crowd’s game, your emotions can just drain you.”
Junior Ben Goldberg played his match down to the wire on the next court over and edged No. 74 Logan Smith 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to tie the score at three. When asked about the match afterwards, Goldberg simply couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face.
“I love these moments,” Goldberg said. “To be honest I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. I’m the biggest UCLA fan ever, and this is a dream come true. Being out there at the very end, it literally doesn’t get any better (than that).”
Smith had already secured the Bruins’ first singles win of the day, a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over the Trojans’ No. 13 Daniel Cukierman, but he had more left in the tank for his teammates.
Smith’s shouted in a booming voice “UC” to be answered by a raucous “LA” from his teammates and fans.
“It’s fun out here, it’s great for tennis,” Smith said. “A lot of people came out and watched that may not have known much about tennis. At the end of the day, it’s about cheering on your teammates and being there for the boys when they need you.”
In doubles, Smith and his partner Maxime Cressy bested the No. 14 ranked duo of Brandon Holt and Riley Smith from USC 6-4. Freshman Govind Nanda and redshirt sophomore Connor Rapp claimed their doubles match 6-3.
Coach Billy Martin said winning the doubles point was a group effort and gave the Bruins momentum early on in the match.
“It started in the doubles, with (Smith) and (Cressy) really spurring us on by coming out and playing unbelievable to start,” Martin said. “Two winning that doubles match was a great effort and three is right there to possibly win if needed. That gave us a lot of positive energy going into singles.”
Martin said the crowd, the tennis and the match were spectacular and will be a lasting memory of his coaching career.
“Doggone it we got two matches on the back (with Goldberg and Zahraj),” Martin said. “In all my days, I don’t remember that special a match. To experience that here at home, with the crowd into it, it’s a special memory. When you have a team that won’t be denied, keeps fighting, and finds a way to win, that’s as gratifying as it gets.”