Gage Brymer qualifies as sole Bruin to compete in USTA/ITA championships
Senior Gage Brymer will be making his first trip to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships starting Thursday. Brymer earned his spot after winning the southwest regionals in October. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Carlie Heuple
Nov. 3, 2016 2:59 a.m.
In his final year at UCLA, Gage Brymer finally qualified for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
The 6-foot senior will compete in the tournament for the first time of his collegiate career this weekend in Flushing, New York, and will be the Bruins’ sole representative.
In the first round Thursday morning, Brymer will face fifth-seeded Alfredo Perez from Florida. Brymer, who is unseeded, spoke with confidence about his goals for the weekend despite the uphill battle he has ahead of him.
“I think the obvious goal is to win this tournament,” Brymer said. “I think that’s a goal that everybody going into this tournament has … It’s a prestigious event, I’m super excited to go.”
Brymer spoke with junior Martin Redlicki and former standout Mackie McDonald, who have competed in this tournament, looking for advice.
[Related: Redlicki’s roundabout journey to UCLA]
“(They talked) a lot about how cool of an event it is,” Brymer said. “They did give me advice on being there, but there’s also only so much you can say as far as that.”
Coach Billy Martin added that he was personally happy for Brymer’s participation in the tournament, saying “To get him to be able to go to New York, I think, is great, I’m really excited for him and wishing him all the best against the best players in the country.”
Brymer came to UCLA as the top recruit in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.net, and he backed up the ranking with a 27-6 singles record in his freshman campaign. His next year, however, was marred by a broken hand.
[Related: Gage Brymer swings back to the forefront of UCLA men’s tennis]
“I’m excited for him to have a final, really good year to leave college tennis with a really good taste in his mouth, and hopefully helping us succeed team wise,” Martin said.
Brymer, on the other hand, is trying to hold off expectations.
After the tournament, Brymer will shift his focus back to the season with a goal to just keep improving. He said, “I think coming in from the summer I’ve consistently improved throughout the fall and I want to keep the going, keep it going into the season and then until the end of the year.”
Depending on how Thursday goes, Brymer will continue to move through the single elimination bracket with hopes of making it to the championships Sunday.
