It may not be Ojai, California – the longtime site of the Pac-12 tournament – but No. 2 seed UCLA men’s tennis (13-8, 11-2 Big Ten) will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for its inaugural Big Ten tournament. As a top-four seed, UCLA will receive a first-round bye and face either No. 7 seed Michigan (14-11, 8-5) or No. 10 seed Northwestern (12-16, 4-9) in the quarterfinals Friday. With a win, UCLA will duel either No. 3 seed Michigan State (15-8, 10-3) or No. 6 seed USC (14-9, 8-5) in Saturday’s semifinals. And if UCLA makes the title match, it’ll likely square off against No. 1 seed and tournament hosts Ohio State (13-0, 24-2). Daily Bruin Sports’ men’s tennis beat predicts what the Bruins’ run in Columbus will look like.

Kai Dizon
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: Big Ten champions

Giacomo Revelli and Alexander Hoogmartens didn’t get a Senior Day.

The Bruins’ final regular-season home match was canceled last minute, cancelling the senior celebrations.

But after leaving their homes in Europe to proudly don the blue and gold for four years, the duo surely deserves one.

The only way they’ll play one more match in Westwood is if UCLA hosts the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

And the only way I see that happening is if they run the table in Columbus.

Wins against Michigan or Michigan State just won’t do it – it didn’t during the regular season, as UCLA still finds itself outside the ITA’s top 20, when only 16 teams get to host the national tournament.

But that’s why they need to. This is why they will.

The Bruins’ entire season pivoted around the senior duo. Before Hoogmartens and Revelli won the Pacific Coast Doubles Tournament, the Bruins were 2-6, and afterwards, they went 11-2.

And the seniors are far from alone. No. 21 freshman Rudy Quan plays like a veteran on court one. No. 32 sophomore Spencer Johnson is finally healthy after missing nearly the entire Big Ten slate. Freshman Kaylan Bigun won his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week award Wednesday. And No. 110 redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels has an 11-3 singles record in 2025.

UCLA won’t even have to worry about adjusting to indoor courts when it heads to Columbus this time around; The tournament will be held at Ohio State’s outdoor Auer Tennis Complex.

Yeah, the Buckeyes haven’t lost a Big Ten match all season. But that doesn’t mean they can’t.

Lamar Tuker
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Big Ten champions

With eleven conference wins on their back, the weight of the Big Ten poses no threat to the Bruins.

The Bruins head to Columbus winners of their last five – and haven’t surrendered more than a single singles match over that stretch. Plus, with two seasoned veterans at the forefront, it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the net.

Seniors Alexander Hoogmartens and Giacomo Revelli have proven to be a formidable force, both as a unit and individually. Since winning the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship, the duo has consistently taken court one, winning six sets on the dual match trail.

Both of the team’s prospective quarterfinal opponents lost to the second-seeded squad in the regular season. In their last win against Michigan, Hoogmartens and Revelli bested their opponent 6-1 in doubles and were the first two to win their singles matches.

In their doubles match against Northwestern, the pair won their set 7-5, and once again, Revelli was one of the first to wrap up his match 6-3, 6-4.

And recently, taking doubles court two has been sophomore Spencer Johnson – who returned from an elbow injury April 11 – and junior Aadarsh Tripathi who’ve gone undefeated in their two matches together.

The Bruins are a young team that’s experienced their fair share of setbacks. But they have the veteran leadership – and UCLA’s longest tenured active head coach, Billy Martin – to make sure the current win streak extends to eight.

Chloe Agas
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Big Ten champions

Last year, then-redshirt senior Govind Nanda threw down his hat onto the courts of Libbey Park. A defeated Bruin pack was getting quacked at – literally – after the Ducks waddled away with a 4-1 win.

If you told me at the start of the season – when the Bruins dropped four consecutive matches – that they’d end up as the Big Ten tournament’s No. 2 seed, I would’ve called you delusional.

But now? I finally see the light.

The bracket sets up a potential semifinal against USC and a final against top-seeded Ohio State – the same two teams that handed UCLA back-to-back losses earlier this month.

To capture the program’s first Big Ten title, they’ll have to trade sweat for silverware.

But they are no strangers to the grind.

The Bruins worked their way out of an early-season slump and closed out the season with five straight wins.

Like a deck of Pokémon cards, each player brings something to the table. At the top is the experienced senior tandem of team captain Alexander Hoogmartens and Giacomo Revelli, who claimed the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship title.

Alongside juniors Aadarsh Tripathi and Gianluca Ballotta and sophomore Emon Van Loben Sels, breakout freshmen No. 21 Rudy Quan and Kaylan Bigun, less than a year removed from being the No. 1 junior in the world, round out a lineup that has the depth necessary to win a title.

And with No. 32 sophomore Spencer Johnson back from injury, the roster finally feels complete.

Cypress Ohebsion
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Runner-up

Just a few weeks ago, UCLA took down Michigan and Michigan State – back to back – adding on to what became a five-match win streak to close the regular season.

Now, the two teams will potentially be the ones standing in the way of UCLA and a Big Ten Championship berth in their first season in the conference.

And the Bruins are even more prepared this time around.

At No. 21, freshman Rudy Quan is at his highest career singles ranking going into the tournament, and he is poised to continue his recent success on court one when the Bruins play in Columbus..

Not to mention, No. 32 sophomore Spencer Johnson, who returned to singles play for the final two matches of the regular season, will give the Bruins an extra boost as he continues to work his way back from injury.

Having only dropped two points in the past five matches, the Bruins’ momentum will carry them through the quarterfinals and semifinals to earn them a spot in the championship.

But waiting for UCLA on Sunday could be Ohio State – the only Big Ten team that swept the Bruins and the only Big Ten team to go undefeated in conference play.

I don’t see any losses on the horizon for the Buckeyes, especially on their home court at Auer Tennis Complex – they should cruise through the tournament to match up with the Bruins in the Championship.

Though UCLA will likely put up a better fight than in their previous matchup, its recent success and momentum still won’t be enough, and the Bruins will come up just short in securing their first-ever Big Ten Men’s Tennis Championship.