A heavyweight fight ensued the last time these two teams met, culminating in an endgame blow.

This time, the punch came almost immediately.

And with it, the Bruins’ season came to an end.

UCLA men’s tennis (18-8, 10-3 Big Ten) fell 4-0 to No. 15 seed San Diego (22-5, 6-1 WCC) on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA championship at the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center in San Diego. The loss marked the end of the Bruins’ 2025-26 season and contrasted their 4-3 win over the Toreros on Feb. 26.

The Bruins found themselves behind the eight-ball from the jump.

San Diego’s Stian Klaassen and Oliver Tarvet stifled junior Spencer Johnson and freshman Bengt Reinhard 6-2 in doubles play. No. 34 duo Adrien Berrut and Lambert Ruland followed suit, defeating junior Andy Nguyen and senior Aadarsh Tripathi 6-3 and clinching the doubles point.

“San Diego got off to a really good start,” said coach Billy Martin. “We just didn’t seem to have the enthusiasm that they did. A lot of that has to do with (San Diego) getting off to a lead.”

Singles play was equally brutal for the Bruins, losing five of six first sets.

Nguyen won UCLA’s lone first-set victory in singles before his contest with Berrut went unfinished.

As the dual match crossed the midway point, it appeared that the Bruins were mounting a comeback. After losing their first sets, No. 80 sophomore Rudy Quan and redshirt freshman Cassius Chinlund each claimed second sets to knot their respective matches at one apiece.

But the Toreros kept landing haymakers.

Tripathi fell 6-3, 6-2 on court four to extend San Diego’s lead to 2-0, concluding an 11-8 dual match season. The loss also marked the final contest of Tripathi’s collegiate career, having notched a career 49-46 singles record as a Bruin.

Then No. 56 Johnson fell to No. 19 Tarvet 6-4, 7-5. It marked Johnson’s fourth match back from an injury that sidelined him for most of April, posting a 1-2 record since returning. The loss to Tarvet comes just a day after Johnson secured UCLA’s victory over Arizona State with a match-clinching ace.

The Bruins suffered the final, season-ending blow when No. 40 Emon van Loben Sels fell 6-2, 7-6 (3) to Klaassen, ending his redshirt junior campaign with just his fifth singles loss of the season.

“I’m still processing the loss,” van Loben Sels said. “We had a really good season last year, and it’s going to be tough to top that. A solid season – it can be better. … Taking some time to process it all. Disappointing to lose, especially when you want it badly.”

Saturday’s loss also marked the end of Nguyen’s first season as a Bruin.

After arriving as a key addition to Martin’s squad last summer, the UC Irvine transfer’s play fluctuated throughout the season. He posted a 10-7 dual match record in 2026, a contrast to his 17-2 season in 2025.

“I’m not super proud of my whole season,” Nguyen said. “But besides the results, I’m super grateful to be part of such a meaningful team. We all have developed really strong relationships. And I’m super grateful to have the opportunity to do that. UCLA has always been a dream for me, and this year, although results may have not gone my way, I feel like I’m living the dream.”