Thursday, March 28, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

Men’s tennis players concede 5 singles matches to USC at Malibu tournament

Senior Ben Goldberg advanced to the round of 16 for UCLA men’s tennis at the ITA Regional Championships in Malibu. Goldberg was forced to withdraw in that round due to a minor injury concern – he was one of two Bruins to do so this weekend. (Andy Bao/Daily Bruin)

By Andreas Papoutsis

Oct. 20, 2019 11:44 p.m.

The Trojans had the Bruins’ number in Malibu.

UCLA men’s tennis sent six players to compete in the ITA Regional Championships at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu from Thursday through Sunday, yet no Bruin earned a spot in the final. The Bruins suffered a total of five singles losses to opponents from USC over the weekend.

Coach Billy Martin said the team didn’t live up to his expectations, but it did show some improvement from last weekend.

“We certainly were hoping that somebody would break through,” Martin said. “But the guys looked sharper this week than they did last week.”

Redshirt junior Connor Rapp, sophomore Patrick Zahraj and redshirt freshman Blaine Hovenier all won their opening-round matchups.

Zahraj lost in the next round to Pepperdine’s Tim Zeitvogel 7-6 (1), 7-5, while Rapp and Hovenier fell to Trojans Daniel Cukierman and Mor Bulis, respectively.

Freshman Drew Baird earned a singles victory, beating UC Irvine’s Daniel Gealer, before conceding a walkover win to USC’s Stefan Dostanic in the round of 32, which Martin said was to prevent him from worsening a minor injury.

“(Baird) had some small, minor injuries and I just didn’t want to risk him,” Martin said. “So I had him retire.”

Senior Ben Goldberg had the deepest run of any Bruin in Malibu, defeating Cal Poly’s Roman Shenkiryk 6-2, 6-0. He went on to win his round of 32 matchup with a 6-3, 6-7 (9), 6-1 win over UC Santa Barbara’s Joseph Rotheram.

“Lately I’ve been feeling really confident in my game,” Goldberg said. “This is the time where we’re able to work on things.”

Goldberg withdrew from his round-of-16 match against USC’s Jake Sands due to injury concern, according to Martin. His forfeit marked the second conceded match to USC, in addition to the three other singles matches that featured a Trojan victory over the Bruins.

Martin said he never likes losing to his crosstown rivals, but that he’ll use the losses as motivation going forward.

“We don’t like losing at all, especially a rivalry against USC,’’ Martin said. “But our main goal and focus is that we want to be ready come January because that’s where it will matter the most.”

In September, junior Keegan Smith also fell to USC’s Cukierman in the finals at the Oracle ITA Masters in Malibu. The Bruins are now 0-6 in Malibu preseason singles games against the Trojans.

“I know better than anybody that you always want to beat those guys from across town,” Goldberg said. “But I’m not taking it as a big deal in the fall. We want them in the spring.”

UCLA will now prepare for the Jack Kramer Fall Invitational starting Oct. 31 in Rolling Hills Estates, California.

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Andreas Papoutsis | Sports reporter
Papoutsis is currently a Sports reporter on the men's tennis beat. He was previously a contributor on the women's tennis beat.
Papoutsis is currently a Sports reporter on the men's tennis beat. He was previously a contributor on the women's tennis beat.
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts