Sometimes talent trumps experience.
The No. 7 UCLA men’s tennis team (6-1) swept the unranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane (4-6) 7-0 on Monday despite not having played indoors yet this season.
“We were able to get the doubles point and came out hot in all the singles,” said junior Martin Redlicki.
The Bruins split the first two double games with the Golden Hurricane, before UCLA’s top doubles team of Redlicki, coming off consecutive Pac-12 Player of the Week honors, and freshman Evan Zhu clinched the first point of the match in a tiebreaker 7-6(5).
[Related: Men’s tennis looking to build on doubles success in future matchups]
“The tiebreaker was a little back-and-forth and we were able to put away at the end,” Zhu said. “The doubles game was huge. With the momentum, you feel a little more confident in the singles.”
The Bruins came out firing on all cylinders in the singles matches, winning all their games. Five of the six UCLA players had straight set victories.
Coming to Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday evening, Zhu said, really paid off for the players to have the weekend to prepare.
“The first couple of days (here) were pretty tough. I changed some serving tactics,” Zhu said. “I wanted a higher first-serve percentage. I thought I had smart shot placements on my first serve.”
Coach Billy Martin complimented Zhu’s performance and work ethic.
“He is probably as coachable of a guy we have on our team,” Martin said. “He added a little more slice on his first serve, which stays a little lower on the indoor courts.”
[Related: Zhu looks to be a valuable asset to UCLA]
The Bruins, Martin added, are heavily relying on the Zhu and Redlicki combination to help them gain an early advantage.
“It’s still really new,” Martin said of the pairing. “They’ve been winning some big doubles matches for us. They can keep improving, but as of now, it is going really well.”
It was mostly smooth sailing for the Bruins – however, they faced a minor hiccup at the end.
UCLA’s highest ranked player, No. 19 senior Gage Brymer lost all six games in the second set before grinding out a 13-11 win in the third-set super tiebreaker.
“The scoreboard was showing we were going to win the match. I hate to say it, but he lost a bit of momentum there,” Martin said. “When it came down to play that third set tiebreaker, he really juiced himself up.”
The coach also said he was pleased by the team’s performance. Later this week, the Bruins will face tougher tests on indoor courts and their entire experience in Tulsa will come in handy.
“All in all, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. We got a great match indoors, and two days of indoor practice,” Martin said. “We head off to Virginia tomorrow and will face a very tough test there.”
UCLA will take part in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I National Men’s Team Indoor Championship on Friday. The Bruins have made the semifinals of the tournament in three of the past four years.