Men’s tennis takes a swing at securing championship spot at upcoming weekend
Sophomore Bryce Pereira finished last season with a 6-8 singles record and a 24-12 doubles mark with partner senior Maxime Cressy. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Jason Maikis
Jan. 25, 2019 12:11 a.m.
It’s time for head-to-head competition in Westwood.
No. 7 UCLA men’s tennis will be facing unranked Indiana and the winner of the unranked San Diego and Ole Miss matchup for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Both matches will take place at the Los Angeles Tennis Center and will open the Bruins’ dual-match season.
UCLA coach Billy Martin said the team can’t underestimate any opponents, even if none of the teams they will face this weekend are ranked in the top 25.
“The (San Diego) team has a really mature, upperclassman team,“ Martin said. “The Ole Miss team is a good team also, and we don’t want to underestimate Indiana in any way as the first match. I think there will be a little bit of apprehension, especially with the younger guys, but we prepared mentally for it.”
Sophomore Bryce Pereira said the quality is high enough throughout college tennis that players need to bring urgency to every match.
“My dad would always tell me, ‘The ball is round’, meaning anything can happen,” Pereira said. “One set, deuce, no-ad, you let up even a little bit, and these guys are all over you. Every team has a chance to beat us.”
Freshman Mathew Tsolakyan said the consistency in quality every match is a part of the collegiate game that forces every player to grow.
“The college game is just more consistent,“ Tsolakyan said. “I just have to be more patient and more strategic in my game. No one’s going to miss a ball out of nowhere, so you have to solidly construct points.”
Martin said the rain out of their matches last week as well as the lost practice time wasn’t ideal for the Bruins’ preparation.
“I don’t like going into the kickoff weekend without having one match under (our belt),“ Martin said. “But, we’ve had to do it before. … It is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it, and we have to go with the punches.”
Results from the ITA Kick-Off Weekend have major implications for the Bruins because the only way to qualify for the ITA indoor championships is to win both matches this weekend.
Martin said qualifying for the ITA indoor championships is a big step for the Bruins’ growth this season.
“It’s always something you have to earn, and getting there is very important,“ Martin said. “Because we will then see the top, top teams, probably the only chance we’ll see everybody until the NCAA (tournament), if we are fortunate enough to make the final site for the tournament this year.”
