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Dear UCLA | Orientation Issue 2024

Former Bruin tennis stars fail to advance past second rounds at Paris Olympics

Ena Shibahara prepares to return the ball at Los Angeles Tennis Center. (Daily Bruin file photo)

By Kai Dizon

Aug. 2, 2024 1:48 p.m.

This post was updated Aug. 4 at 11:21 p.m.

Tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics began Saturday.

But by the conclusion of the second round of matches, all three former Bruins competing were eliminated.

Knocked out by Wednesday’s end, Ena Shibahara, Marcos Giron and Jean-Julien Rojer left Roland Garros empty-handed.

Shibahara – named an ITA Singles All-American during her two years with UCLA women’s tennis back in 2017 and 2018 – partnered with Shuko Aoyama to represent Japan in the women’s doubles competition. In their first-round match against Romania’s Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Adina Cristian, the Japanese duo claimed victory 6-2, 6-3 – outscoring their opponents 65 to 47 in points.

However, in their second-round battle against No. 2 seed Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, the Japanese pair were defeated 7-5, 6-4 – losing a 5-4 lead in set one and a 3-2 lead in set two.

Shibahara also competed in the mixed doubles tournament alongside with Kei Nishikori. To kickstart their medal campaign, Shibahara and Nishikori faced France’s Caroline Garcia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The teams split the first two sets, with the Japanese winning the first 6-4 and the French returning the favor by taking the second 6-3.

In the match tiebreak, the French got off to an early 2-0 lead before the Japanese came back to lead 6-3. Garcia and Roger-Vasselin knotted the game at seven before Shibahara and Nishikori ultimately walked away with a 10-7 win.

But in the quarterfinals, their second mixed doubles match, Shibahara and Nishikori met the Czech Republic’s Siniakova and Tomas Machac, resulting in a 7-5, 6-2 defeat. The Japanese were outscored 69 to 50 in points while recording two service wins to the Czech’s zero.

Team USA’s Giron, the 2014 NCAA singles champion who spent three years with UCLA men’s tennis, was the first of the three to be eliminated.

Facing Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in singles competition, Giron fell in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. The Thousand Oaks, California, local failed to execute a comeback and recorded zero aces to Auger-Aliassime’s 10. With his first-round loss, Giron failed to match his 2020 Tokyo Olympics performance where he made a second-round appearance.

With partner Robin Haase, Rojer – another former three-year Bruin and two-time doubles All-American – competed in men’s doubles to represent the Netherlands. In the first round, the pair faced Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Mariano Navone of Argentina. The Dutch were victorious, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), winning in straight sets via tiebreaker. In the first set, neither side strung together back-to-back games, but in the second, Rojer and Haase fought back from a 4-1 deficit.

In round two, the Dutch duo ultimately fell to No. 3 seed Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz of the United States 6-3, 6-4. In his fourth Olympic Games, the 42-year-old Rojer was once again sent home without any hardware.

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Kai Dizon | Assistant Sports editor
Dizon is a 2024-2025 assistant Sports editor on the baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball beats. He was previously a reporter on the baseball and men’s water polo beats. Dizon is a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student from Chicago.
Dizon is a 2024-2025 assistant Sports editor on the baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball beats. He was previously a reporter on the baseball and men’s water polo beats. Dizon is a second-year ecology, behavior and evolution student from Chicago.
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