Traveling halfway across the country and playing on indoor courts didn’t slow down the Bruins this weekend.

UCLA men’s tennis (6-6, 4-0 Big Ten) responded to the four-match skid that ended nonconference play with a four-match winning streak to open its Big Ten slate, defeating No. 23 Illinois (10-6, 4-2) by a score of 4-1 on Friday in Urbana, Illinois, before sweeping Northwestern (10-10, 3-3) on Sunday in Evanston, Illinois.

And through their first four Big Ten dual matches, the Bruins have won by a total margin of 22-1.

“We were two and six after our first eight matches before we started conference – it wasn’t looking good,” said coach Billy Martin. “But we’ve had a good start of the conference, which has, I think, given the guys a lot of confidence. So I’m very, very happy with our start of conference play.”

No. 75 redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels extended his singles win streak to five over the weekend, defeating Illinois’ Jeremy Zhang 6-1, 6-4 and Northwestern’s Felix Nordby 6-2, 6-4.

“​​One of the big things I’ve learned this season is even if I’m not feeling 100%, I still find ways by competing well and just finding ways strategically,” van Loben Sels said. “I played pretty smart in both matches and fought very hard. So I think that got me through these two matches.”

No. 120 Aadarsh Tripathi also went 2-0 in the Prairie State, defeating Illinois’ Zach Viiala 6-4, 6-0 and Northwestern’s Max Bengtsson 6-2, 7-5.

The junior said he’s focused on maintaining a high level of individual confidence, adding that the team’s collective belief has helped spark the recent turnaround.

Tripathi also spoke about the transition to playing tennis indoors this weekend, as the Bruins hadn’t played on indoor courts since their matches at ITA Kickoff Weekend in Harvard’s Murr Center on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26.

“We all were a little surprised at first because it’s faster indoors, so we’re definitely a little surprised by the court speed,” Tripathi said. “But I think this time, having Harvard as an experience and playing both these indoor matches was pretty good.”

Martin said the team’s schedule in Illinois was planned to the hour – composed of meals, training sessions, drives and rest. He added that the routine and time the team spent together brought the players closer.

With the Bruins’ recent matches coming at the tail end of winter quarter finals, Tripathi and van Loben Sels said balancing academics and athletics can be challenging, especially on the road.

“It’s very tough sometimes,” van Loben Sels said. “Thankfully, this week I finished my finals early but usually try to get my work done early.”

However, Tripathi added that UCLA’s testing accommodations, such as tutoring and remote finals, have made the academic-athletics balance easier for him and other student-athletes.

As UCLA returns home to face Oregon on March 29, Tripathi said the team has returned to its winning ways.

“Especially now on a winning streak, we’ve really just shown that we can compete at the highest level and just proved it to ourselves,” Tripathi said. “I’m excited to be home.”