UCLA
Weber State
Men's Tennis Cruises in NCAA Opener
May 13, 2016 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES - The third-seeded UCLA men's tennis team proved too much for visiting Weber State in the first round of the NCAA Tennis Championships on Friday afternoon at the Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts, cruising to a 4-0 victory. The Bruins (23-2) advance to Saturday's second round where they will meet San Diego at 1:00 p.m. The Toreros also advanced following a dominating win on Friday, downing Vanderbilt, 4-0 in their opening-round match.
NCAA Bracket | NCAA Second Round Tickets
"I was really happy with what I saw today from the team," said UCLA head coach Billy Martin. "Up and down the line in both singles and doubles everybody looked really eager to get back into competition. I felt that the team was energized and ready to play,"
Friday marked the sixth time in the last seven matches that UCLA was able to claim the doubles point. The Bruins cruised in their two doubles wins on the day, dropping just a total of two games in a pair of 6-1 victories at court Nos. 1 and 2. A 6-1 victory by second-ranked Mackenzie McDonald and Martin Redlicki at court 1 was quickly followed by another 6-1 win at court No. 2, as Joseph Di Giulio and Karue Sell gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
UCLA controlled the action in singles from the get-go, taking first set wins on five of six courts. Sell, the nation's 101st-ranked player, was the first to finish, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. His opponent, Hou-En Chen, played a competitive first set but wasn't able to make a strong impression in the second, falling 6-4, 6-0.
Next off was McDonald at court No. 1, as he turned in the most dominating performance of the afternoon, losing just one game en route to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jakub Gewert, who needed a lengthy injury timeout during the first set.
Sophomore Logan Staggs posted the clinching win for the Bruins at court No. 5, where he was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Landon Barlow.
UCLA and San Diego met earlier this season at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, with the Bruins taking a 7-0 win in that encounter back on Feb. 5.
"We're going to have a much tougher match tomorrow against San Diego," added Martin. "I feel they are a very good team that has had an incredible end to the season. I know their confidence is high and they are going to want to avenge their loss to us earlier in the year. But I also feel that if we play well, we will have a great chance to win."
For all the latest information surrounding the UCLA men's tennis team, follow on twitter at @uclatennis.
NCAA First Round
#2 UCLA 4, Weber State 0
May 13, 2016 at Los Angeles, CA (Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts)
| Doubles |
| 1. #2 McDonald/Redlicki (UCLA) def. Cooper/Goswami (WSU) 6-1 |
| 2. Di Giulio/Sell (UCLA) def. Fought/Gewert (WSU) 6-1 |
| 3. Maxime Cressy/Austin Rapp (UCLA) vs. Barlow/Chen (WSU) 3-3, unfinished |
UCLA Wins Doubles Point
| Singles |
| 1. #6 Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) def. Jakub Gewert (WSU) 6-0, 6-1 |
| 2. #38 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) vs. Todd Fought (WSU) 6-1, 5-5, unfinished |
| 3. #58 Gage Brymer (UCLA) vs. Stefan Cooper (WSU) 3-6, 2-5, unfinished |
| 4. #101 Karue Sell (UCLA) def. Hou-En Chen (WSU) 6-4, 6-0 |
| 5. Logan Staggs (UCLA) def. Landon Barlow (WSU) 6-2, 6-2 |
| 6. Joseph Di Giulio (UCLA) vs. Sanjay Goswami (WSU) 6-1, 5-2, unfinished |
| Match Notes |
| Weber State 14-8 |
| UCLA 23-2; National ranking #2 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,1,5) |
| NCAA Regionals - First Round |
Players Mentioned
