On what was supposed to be yet another rainy day, resulting in another canceled match, the UCLA men’s tennis team finally caught a break.
And the No. 6 Bruins, who initially attempted to have their Saturday afternoon match against the San Diego State Aztecs pushed up to Friday because of Saturday’s possible rain, took advantage of their good fortune by defeating the Aztecs 5-2 and pushing their record to 4-2 on the season.
“We were out here (drying the courts) at 7:30 this morning,” UCLA coach Billy Martin said after Saturday’s match. “It was a beautiful day and I was sure we’d get it in, but I wasn’t so sure yesterday looking at today’s forecast.”
After having several matches canceled early in the season because of rain, Saturday’s match was only the Bruins’ sixth of the season, while other top teams in the nation are approaching ten or more matches. With that said, UCLA still seemed to be a bit rusty. On Saturday, the Bruins lost the doubles point, causing them to have to win four singles matches to clinch the victory rather than three. But according to Martin, what was impressive was how his team battled back in singles.
“We needed that,” Martin said. “I can’t say we looked tremendously sharp. Losing the doubles point really bothered me, but we came back strong in singles.”
Redshirt seniors Haythem Abid and senior Matt Brooklyn, along with freshman Maxime Tabatruong, each posted straight set victories to put UCLA up 3-1 in the dual meet. Juniors Amit Inbar and Nick Meister were both pushed to three sets, but cruised toward the end of their matches.
Next up, the Bruins will host UC Irvine Tuesday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Compiled by Brantley Watson, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Compiled by Brantley Watson.