No. 21 UCLA men’s tennis (14-6, 8-3 Big Ten) will travel to Eugene to face No. 51 Oregon (14-8, 5-6) on Friday. The Bruins have just two matches remaining before the Big Ten Tournament, making this one of their final attempts to secure their seed. Daily Bruin contributor Samir Joshi analyzes the Ducks’ talent ahead of the matchup.

Personnel

Coach: Nils Schyllander

Projected Singles Lineup: Vlad Breazu, Pierre Mouesca, Matthew Burton, Sam Olszakowski, Russell Soohoo, Cameron Burton

Projected Doubles Lineup: Matthew Burton/Pierre Mouesca, Vlad Breazu/Declan Galligan, Cameron Burton/Lachlan Robertson.

X-Factor: Vlad Breazu

Overall Record: 14-8

ITA National Ranking: No. 51

Notable Victory: Then-No. 42 Northwestern.

Oregon enters this matchup on the heels of a 4-2 win over Penn State, snapping a five-match losing streak.

In a season without any victories over top-25 teams, the Ducks have just two remaining opportunities, with matchups against the Bruins and the Trojans.

And experience may be the key to securing an upset.

Coach Nils Schyllander’s singles lineup boasts five seniors, spearheaded by No. 113 Vlad Breazu at the helm.

Coming off a 14-6 dual match singles campaign which propelled the Ducks to a .500 record, the Bucharest, Romania, local has played all but one match at court one and has lost just three matches, against Michigan State’s then-No. 33 Aristotelis Thanos, Michigan’s then-No. 10 Max Dahlin, and Purdue’s Nour Fathalla.

Breazu is known for his unconventional yet powerful serve, leaning downward to generate a rocking motion that loads his back leg before going through a unique service routine and jumping into contact.

Joined by Breazu at the forefront of the lineup is Pierre Mouesca, who played three seasons at Georgia Southern before transferring to Oregon for his senior campaign.

The Biarritz, France, local has maintained his poise at court two, notching notable conference wins against Nebraska’s Jeri Lassila and Purdue’s Henrik Villanger.

Last year, the Bruins triumphed over the Ducks 4-0, dropping just two sets across the outing.

This year, the Ducks have lost just two matches at the Student Tennis Center in Eugene – undefeated through the first two months of play – and will bring fierce energy to one of the Big Ten’s most daunting venues.

Schyllander has maintained confidence in his top players, altering his front court rotations between Breazu and Mouesca just once this season.

Courts three and four have belonged to Sam Olszakowski and Matthew Burton, respectively, while courts five and six are shared between Russell Soohoo, Cameron Burton, and Lachlan Robertson.

Schyllander executes a very similar scheme in doubles.

The Ducks have the veteran leadership of Matthew Burton and Mouesca at the helm, who are currently the No. 49 collegiate duo.

However, the duo is coming off four consecutive doubles losses, and will need to double down heading into the Big Ten Tournament.