Men’s tennis displays disparity between top and bottom singles courts
Sophomore Keegan Smith leads UCLA men’s tennis with 18 singles wins so far this season. At the No. 2 spot in the singles lineup, Smith has recorded five singles wins in conference play and has only lost once. (Daanish Bhatti/Daily Bruin)
By Jared Tay
April 15, 2019 10:46 p.m.
The Bruins’ front and back courts aren’t just separated by the south end of a stadium – the two sides tell different stories on the final score lines as well.
The Los Angeles Tennis Center, home to both UCLA tennis teams, houses its top three courts – No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 – in the stadium proper, while the bottom three courts – No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 – sit outside the stadium, adjacent to the Mo Ostin Basketball Center. The six courts are physically separated into two halves, and the men’s singles results of the top three and bottom three courts this season are disparate.
Senior Maxime Cressy, sophomore Keegan Smith and freshman Govind Nanda fill the top three spots of the singles lineup, playing on courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Together, they have combined for a total of 33 wins across the dual match season so far.
The backcourts – usually comprised of freshman Patrick Zahraj, junior Ben Goldberg and freshman Mathew Tsolakyan – have a combined 20 wins. Freshman Eric Hahn and redshirt sophomore Connor Rapp have also contributed, but have spent limited time in the lineup.
The difference between the top and bottom singles courts is 13 dual-match wins.
Coach Billy Martin said he was impressed with Tsolakyan’s performance against Washington at No. 5 singles, despite his match remaining unfinished, as Nanda clinched the win on court No. 3.
“(He’s got) no quit, even though things didn’t go well early in that first set (against Washington),” Martin said. “He lost three 30-30 games and didn’t panic. He started playing better and didn’t lose faith.”
Tsolakyan has yet to win a match since his victory against Loyola Marymount’s Austin Di Giulio on March 26. He has had four unfinished matches since then, as well as two losses.
The No. 5 spot is typically filled by Goldberg, who has tallied seven wins on the season. Goldberg was unable to grab a win this weekend at No. 4 singles.
“(Goldberg) came out against Washington with a little more determination,” Martin said. “His performance Tuesday (against Pepperdine) was a letdown after his win at the USC match. Today, he was leading his second set 4-1, and I think he lost a little concentration.”
Zahraj, who usually plays at No. 4 singles, has turned in four wins on the season. His first four dual matches went unfinished and he has lost a total of six dual matches this year. He did not participate in the singles lineup this weekend because of an injury.
Hahn has contributed four wins at No. 6 singles, with three coming in the past week. Hahn said adjusting to college tennis as a freshman has been difficult, but he has been making progress.
“My game has definitely evolved (since my loss at USC),” Hahn said. “Playing in that atmosphere is so much different from playing junior and individual tennis. Even when I played Grand Canyon, I was feeling very similar and tight with (the pressure) of the crowd.”
The No. 2 singles spot on the top courts has been filled by Smith, who leads the team in singles wins across all competitions with 18 victories. His most recent win came against Washington’s Jack Davis and was his 10th of the dual match season. Smith, who has lost only two duals, said neutralizing his opponent’s serve was important for him over the weekend.
“(I try to) focus on where he is tossing and try to look to where I think he is going,” Smith said. “You have to take his pace, and not go too much (on the return) and neutralize the point.”
The Bruins have two matches remaining in conference play. Those meetings will both take place at home, against Arizona State and Arizona on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
