UCLA men’s tennis earns victory over Oregon after loss to Washington

The Bruins split their trip up north.

UCLA men’s tennis (7-9, 2-2 Pac-12) traveled to the Pacific Northwest this weekend, falling 5-1 to Washington (14-6, 2-2) on Friday before earning a 4-1 victory over Oregon (10-9, 0-4) on Sunday.

Against the Huskies, the Bruins secured the doubles point, their only match point Friday. The first doubles match went to Washington as freshman Karl Lee and sophomore Stefan Leustian lost to Cesar Bouchelaghem and Ewen Lumsden 6-2 on court three.

Freshman Giacomo Revelli and senior Patrick Zahraj, on the other hand, beat Clement Chidekh and Nedim Suko 6-4 on court two while freshman Alexander Hoogmartens and redshirt senior Bryce Pereira defeated Jack Davis and Brandon Wong 6-4 on the top court.

Coach Billy Martin said he was proud of UCLA’s team spirit at the beginning of the match but felt it faded once singles play began.

“We played pretty good doubles, but we just came out so flat in singles and let emotions get the better of us,” Martin said. “We dwindled. The crowds can help the team get back into it, and Washington did that.”

The Bruins failed to claim a set in singles play against the Huskies, starting with a 6-1, 6-2 loss from No. 38 Hoogmartens against No. 4 Chidekh on the top court. Revelli then fell to No. 100 Lumsden 6-4, 6-0 on court three.

Washington’s Suko beat Leustian on court six, 6-3, 6-2 and senior Eric Hahn’s 6-3, 6-3 loss to Bouchelaghem clinched the win on court five for the Huskies.

With another dual match still to be played following the Washington loss, Pereira said the team focused on staying positive.

“We kept our chests up, chins up and took it head on,” Pereira said. “The energy was a lot better. I think all the guys came to compete, and that’s all you can really ask for.”

The Bruins also earned the doubles point in their matchup against the Ducks on Sunday. On court three, Lee and redshirt freshman Jeffrey Fradkin defeated Ryoma Matsushita and Luke Vandecasteele 6-2. Oregon’s Joshua Charlton and Quinn Vandecasteele then beat Hoogmartens and Pereira 6-4 on the top court. The Bruins bounced back on court two as Revelli and Zahraj beat Ivailo Keremedchiev and Jesper Klöv-Nilsson 7-5.

Revelli said his success with Zahraj is attributed to the positive energy he receives from his partner.

“He’s a very experienced doubles player and adds energy right when it’s needed,” Revelli said. “He’s always supportive and encouraging, and we got two good wins.”

Revelli then got the first singles point on court three as he defeated Keremedchiev 6-3, 6-0.

The Ducks received their only point on court four as Klöv-Nilsson beat Lee 6-2, 6-3. Hoogmartens then extended the Bruins’ lead on the top court with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Charlton.

Pereira clinched the overall win for UCLA with a three-set victory over Avi Shugar.

The redshirt senior said it was a special moment for him to be able to clinch the match-winning point.

“I’ve never been in a position throughout my career here at UCLA to have been putting that kind of final point on the board,” Pereira said. “It was my first time in that situation and so I kept telling myself to stay in the present, stay focused and stay composed.”

UCLA will next take on USC on Saturday for its penultimate conference match of the season.