Treading toward the future often requires facing the past.

And one Bruin will take his first step in that quest this weekend.

No. 12 UCLA men’s tennis will face UC Irvine on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center to open the dual-match season. And after a Big Ten title and an NCAA quarterfinal berth last year, the Bruins are upbeat heading into the season.

“I think we’re all excited,” said coach Billy Martin, who is entering his 33rd dual-match season at the helm of UCLA. “We have a lot of experienced players. … This is as hardworking a group of young men as I’ve had in a long time, everybody on the same mental path as far as wanting to have another good season like we did last year and maybe even supersede what we did last year, which would be fun and a great goal for us.”

The spotlight is on Andy Nguyen as Saturday approaches. The junior will make his dual-match debut for the Bruins against his former team.

Nguyen was the No. 2 player on Irvine’s singles lineup and frequented court one alongside his doubles partner Noah Zamora last season. Nguyen clinched All-Big West honors for both singles and doubles play during each of his two years with the Anteaters.

The Long Beach, California, local will stand on the opposite side of the net Saturday, with the chance to get a win against his former squad.

“It’s your old family, your old friends,” Nguyen said. “But I’m trying to restructure my perspective to just play my hardest, because at the end of the day, I feel like that gives them the most respect.”

Nguyen’s place on the UCLA lineup has yet to be announced ahead of the opener, but it may be within the top three after the departures of graduates Alexander Hoogmartens and Giacomo Revelli alongside, freshman-turned-pro Kaylan Bigun.

Although Nguyen said he is emphasizing professionalism and unwavering focus, he added that playing for the Bruins still feels surreal.

“Even thinking about it right now, my palms are a little sweaty,” Nguyen said. “It’s been a dream to always play at UCLA, and to finally get it to a few days away, it’s starting to finally creep up on me.”

Nguyen joins a Bruin squad centered on an All-American quartet of No. 20 redshirt junior Emon van Loben Sels, No. 53 sophomore Rudy Quan, No. 75 junior Spencer Johnson and senior Aadarsh Tripathi. Quan was recently named to the 2026 Big Ten Men’s Tennis Players to Watch list after clinching singles and doubles berths to the 2025 NCAA tournament.

Tripathi said the Bruin bunch has refined its approach to sustain last season’s momentum while handling the added pressure.

“We’re trying to really stay more process-oriented and not results-oriented,” Tripathi said. “That can be a little bit tough sometimes … We’re focusing on that, and I think the results will come with that.”

The senior said that the group dynamic has remained consistent, albeit somewhat modified. He added that he has stepped up into the role of a vocal leader, following in the footsteps of Hoogmartens and Revelli.

Martin touted the group’s depth and hinted at the possibility of tinkering with innovative combinations within the lineup, especially on the doubles side.

“I’d say our depth is looking good,” Martin said. “I think we have really strong players at the top of the lineup, good experienced guys, maybe that’ll be playing a little lower in the lineup. I think our challenge will be doubles. We certainly have some guys that have played in our doubles line before, but there’s going to be some new players, and it’s always the chemistry getting them matched up with someone that they enjoy, and their skills blend in with each other.”

An All-American core looking to capitalize on the dawn of another opportunity. A transfer looking to turn the first page of his new book while reflecting on the story already written.

It all begins Saturday.