UCLA men’s tennis extends win streak to 10-0 for home matches
Freshman Evan Zhu jumped to No. 7 in the ITA doubles rankings with junior Martin Redlicki on Tuesday behind a four-match winning streak, all of which took place at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center. UCLA men’s tennis is undefeated at home this season and is 50-2 in Westwood since the 2013-14 season. (Amy Dixon/Daily Bruin)
By Jonathan Chang
April 4, 2017 9:46 p.m.
Home is where the heart is – but for the UCLA men’s tennis team, home is where the wins are.
During this season, No. 10 UCLA (13-4, 2-0 Pac-12) have not dropped a match yet, beating the likes of Stanford, Oregon and Duke for a perfect 10-0 record at home. Dating back to the 2013-14 season, UCLA has amassed a 50-2 record at home.
The team’s home-court advantage is noticeable when compared with its 3-4 record on the road this season. With the advantage of slower, sun-baked Los Angeles courts, the Bruins often have a tough time adjusting to faster indoor courts and colder temperatures.
After the away loss against Virginia in mid-February, coach Billy Martin offered some insight into the road struggles – especially struggles playing on unfamiliar indoor courts.
“We have California kids that don’t play much indoor tennis. There aren’t really indoor courts in LA to even practice. Our guys have a game style that is better suited for slower courts,” Martin said. “I feel that some teams are just better indoors than others. We play the whole season outdoors and it’s an advantage for some teams.”
After the Stanford match, junior Logan Staggs attributed the win to the crowd, which he cited as another factor for why the team does so well at home.
“The crowd helped a lot. It also makes you a little nervous but it really helps,” Staggs said. “I had a lot of friends in the crowd. They were cheering me on, especially on those big points. With the crowd behind you it shifts one or two critical points in your favor.”
In the same match, freshman Evan Zhu also experienced the vocal UCLA crowd and cited the energy of the UCLA fans as a factor in ending his three-match losing streak.
“Personally I love it. I feel like it brings more energy to the match,” Zhu said. “It makes it more intense and more fun. I love the crowd.”
At the most recent home match against Oregon, Martin cited the vocalness of the nonstarters, members of the team that don’t travel to away games, as another factor that boosted the team’s confidence.
“I think they’ve been doing a great job the last three, four matches,” Martin said. “Just because you’re not playing doesn’t mean you don’t have your heart and soul into it.”
With the new ITA rankings coming out, the Bruins’ No. 1 and No. 2 singles players senior Gage Brymer and junior Martin Redlicki both slipped down, with Brymer going from No.11 to No.15 and Redlicki from No. 39 to No. 42. Thanks to a four-match win streak, the doubles duo of Zhu and Redlicki has risen in rankings, going from No. 15 to No. 7.
