Unprecedented circumstances did not deter the Bruins from winning their season opener.

“We came out, we got the job done, battled through adversity,” said junior Aadarsh Tripathi. “I’m super happy.”

No. 20 UCLA men’s tennis (1-0) defeated UC Irvine (0-1) 4-1 Friday at Anteater Tennis Stadium to open the 2025 dual-match season. Originally scheduled to take place in Westwood, the match was moved to Irvine, California, amid the ongoing Los Angeles County wildfires.

The Bruins had the scoreboard sway against them during doubles. Despite the tandem being ranked No. 10 in the nation, senior Alexander Hoogmartens and Tripathi were the first out with a 6-3 loss to Noah Zamora and Andy Nguyen.

Although sophomores Spencer Johnson and Emon Van Loben Sels led Hiroki Sakagawa and Lawee Sherif 5-3, their set was cut short when freshmen Rudy Quan and Kaylan Bigun fell 6-4 to Sohrob Amiryavari and Max Fardanesh.

“I thought my two freshmen at number three doubles looked extremely nervous in their first match ever,” said coach Billy Martin. “That’s why I hate to do a road trip for our first match. And this team (UC Irvine) ended up being a very, very good team this year.”

But UCLA tied the match at one apiece when Hoogmartens defeated Sherif in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 during singles.

“I just felt comfortable here, even though it wasn’t at home,” Hoogmartens said. “That’s a little bit of the experience I have. … It would have been better if we played at home for the other guys, but for me, it wasn’t a problem.”

No. 13 Johnson extended the Bruins’ lead to 2-1 when he defeated No. 31 Zamora 6-3, 6-4. It was the third time the two have squared off – with Johnson walking away victorious twice, including in the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in October.

“Spencer, great effort at number one singles against a great player,” Martin said.

Quan, ranked No. 50 in the nation, was the only Bruin freshman to clinch a singles win, defeating Nguyen 6-4, 6-3. Bigun trailed Sakagawa 7-6(9-7), 5-2 before the match was called for UCLA.

No. 93 Tripathi tied the knot with his 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Ruining Huang.

“They (UC Irvine) came out firing and got the doubles point, but we knew they were a gritty team, and we knew that they’re gonna fight till the end, play a lot looser, and really come at us,” Tripathi said. “So I’m glad of our team, just not backing down and really staying with that and staying solid.”