This post was updated Nov. 14 at 11:21 p.m.

A pair of Bruin teammates found themselves on opposite sides of the net with a trip to the 2024 NCAA men’s singles championships on the line.

Four members of UCLA men’s tennis played in the ITA West Sectional Championships at Pepperdine from Thursday to Sunday, in which redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels and No. 96 senior Alexander Hoogmartens were pitted against one another in the quarterfinal playoffs.

“None of us expected that to happen,” van Loben Sels said. “(Alexander and I) worked really hard, and we both deserved to play in the (NCAA) tournament.”

In a three-set match, van Loben Sels secured a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory – earning the opportunity to compete in his first singles championships.

The Sacramento local said qualifying for the singles tournament was high among the goals he put together early this year.

Now, the redshirt sophomore will join Spencer Johnson – who qualified for the NCAAs by winning the singles title at the ITA Southwest Regionals in October – as the two Bruins who will take on the singles court in Waco, Texas.

Originally falling in the quarterfinals to the tournament’s eventual winner – Pepperdine’s Maxi Homberg, who was playing on his home court – van Loben Sels said the loss fueled his mettle for the rest of the tournament.

On the other side, Hoogmartens, who competed in the 2022 singles championships, got hot quickly in Malibu, winning his first two matches in straight sets.

However, he wasn’t able to continue that success, suffering back-to-back losses –including the one to van Loben Sels. Despite the defeat, Hoogmartens will still make the trip to Waco, having earned a bid on the doubles side with No. 104 junior Aadarsh Tripathi just last month.

As a whole, the Bruins were unsuccessful in cracking the semifinals at the ITA Sectionals, as Tripathi – despite a win over USC’s No. 38 Peter Makk in the first round – couldn’t overcome another top-50 player in the nation, California’s No. 44 Theo Dean.

Like his two teammates, Tripathi had one more chance to qualify for the NCAA singles championship but was ultimately defeated by Cal’s Timofey Stepanov.

Although only one Bruin was able to secure an NCAA tournament trip at Pepperdine, coach Billy Martin said he was proud of the strides made by his players.

“(I) have really seen a lot of improvement from each and every one of the players that was here in the fall,” Martin said. “I’m feeling very good about (the season).”

With the ITA Sectionals having been the final opportunity to secure a spot in the NCAA championships, the stage is set for the quartet of Bruins looking to make a deep run.

As for van Loben Sels specifically, he said he feels worthy, and he will be entering the NCAA singles championships with a boost of confidence.

“He’s really starting to believe and see that he can compete at the highest level of collegiate tennis,” Martin said.