May’s first day was a roaring success for the Bruins.
For the squad across the net, it was Mayday.
UCLA men’s tennis (18-7, 10-3 Big Ten) trounced Arizona State (17-11, 4-4 Big 12) 4-0 Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center in San Diego.
The match opened with dominance in doubles, marking the Bruins’ fourth consecutive doubles point clinched.
Junior Andy Nguyen and senior Aadarsh Tripathi bested Milos Mikovic and Ofek Shimanov 6-1, and freshman Bengt Reinhard and junior Spencer Johnson defeated Shu Matsuoka and Niels Villard 6-4.
The swift dominance pleased UCLA’s head honcho.
“We came out ready to play,” said coach Billy Martin. “We’ve been trying to do that all year, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but each team is playing better together.”
And the Bruins did not slow down on the singles front.
No. 56 Johnson, No. 80 sophomore Rudy Quan and No. 40 redshirt junior Emon van Loben Sels secured straight-set wins on the top three courts to punch UCLA’s ticket to the second round.
It marked a return to consistency for the trio after they each suffered straight-set losses in UCLA’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss, albeit to No. 1 seed Michigan State.
Johnson added that the disappointment of that setback fueled the trio’s resurgence.
“We want to really do well, and we’ve fallen short a couple times from competing the way we could have,” Johnson said. “That’s all on our minds, and we want to break through some of the barriers we’ve struggled with this year.”
Johnson’s 6-1, 6-4 victory over Shimanov also marked the junior’s first singles victory since his 20-day injury absence in April. He punctuated his return to the NCAA championship stage with a match-clinching ace.
It was a flash of Johnson’s power-oriented play that had been missing at times as he worked his way back.
“I’m just starting to get my timing back from the injury, so I’m feeling better about my game,” Johnson said. “Everything started clicking. I’m moving better, too, which makes it easier.”
The second half of the Bruins’ season has been turbulent at times. But when the dust settled in San Diego on Friday, all appeared well for the Westwood bunch.
Quan, who defeated Mathis Bondaz 6-3, 6-0, said the Bruins’ eyes are set on reaching the quarterfinals, where they lost to then-No. 3 seed Texas last season.
“We’re all motivated to get back to the final eight,” Quan said. “So it’s fuel. But this is a new team and a new season, so we’re just trying to take one moment at a time.”
UCLA now turns its attention to No. 15 seed San Diego, which it will face Saturday in the tournament’s second round. The Toreros hold home court advantage and have the opportunity to exact revenge for the Bruins’ 4-3 victory on Feb. 26.
It presents yet another season-defining challenge for the Bruins.
But the squad’s 33rd-year coach said its past matches offer a blueprint for the team’s success as they fight again to sustain their title aspirations.
“Sometimes, sports is funny,” Martin said. “It works out. … You might not beat this team nine out of 10 times, but we’re only looking for one out of 10. And, if that day, we’re ready and prepared, that’s all we need.”
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