Redemption has fueled the Bruins’ 2025 postseason run.

From its Big Ten tournament title victory against Ohio State to settling the score with California in the NCAA tournament’s second round and USC in the NCAA super regional, UCLA has gotten revenge on opponents it lost to during the regular season.

“To have lost to the Trojans (on Feb. 22 and April 1), I have to say I didn’t sleep well the whole week,” said coach Billy Martin after defeating USC on May 9. “It added a whole new bundle of worries.”

Riding high on postseason payback, UCLA men’s tennis (19-8, 11-2 Big Ten) will face No. 3 seed Texas (28-4, 13-1 SEC) on Friday at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, for the NCAA tournament’s quarterfinals. Though the Bruins have yet to face the Longhorns this season, the prospect of redemption remains.

Texas swept UCLA in last year’s second round, ending the Bruins’ campaign. But this time, a spot in the national semifinals is on the line.

And Friday’s contest is also one for conference pride.

UCLA won the Big Ten tournament title April 27, while Texas – who started the season as the nation’s No. 1 team – clinched the SEC Championship on April 20, trouncing South Carolina.

Both teams appear to be playing their best tennis at this point in the year. UCLA is riding a season-best 11-game win streak, while Texas has won its last six.

After UCLA’s win against USC, Martin said the team can’t get too cocky.

“We feel really fortunate we got the win,” Martin said. “But are we feeling like we’re by far the best team? No, I’m sorry. Today, we were fortunate. … If we play tomorrow, the result could be different.”

Martin said much of the team’s success has been spearheaded by No. 35 sophomore Spencer Johnson. Even when Johnson wasn’t able to take the court, his leadership never wavered, the coach added.

And now, Johnson is back in the Bruins’ lineup. After missing UCLA’s first two crosstown bouts because of an injury, the sophomore punched the team’s ticket to the quarterfinals, defeating Volodymyr Iakubenko on court five.

“Even through our mistakes, when we don’t get the doubles point, some guys are coming through when it counts,” Johnson said. “We need to just keep believing in ourselves more than anything.”

Johnson added that the Bruins – who’ve lost consecutive doubles points for the first time since mid-February – will need to tighten up their doubles play heading to Waco.

While UCLA hasn’t played a dual-match in Waco since 2019, four Bruins did make the trip to the Hurd Tennis Center in November.

Johnson, No. 116 junior Aadarsh Tripathi, No. 110 redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels and senior Alexander Hoogmartens competed in the NCAA individual championships, with three of the four earning All-American honors.

That experience may factor into how quickly they can acclimate to the courts this weekend, with Hurd Tennis Center also serving as the site of the NCAA semifinals and title matches Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Longhorns boast four top-75 singles players, including No. 1 Timo Legout. They also have three top-85 doubles squads, including the No. 10 team of Legout and Lucas Brown.

After the NCAA individual championships in Waco, Tripathi said the Bruins’ main goal for the dual-match season was to win a national title.

The squad is now three wins away from accomplishing just that.