UCLA
Army West Point (First Round)
UCLA to Host NCAA Play, Beginning Friday
May 09, 2017 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- The UCLA men's tennis team was named the No. 5 seed in the upcoming NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship, the NCAA Selection Committee announced Tuesday, May 2. The Bruins will host an NCAA Regional at Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts from May 12-13. UCLA will take on Army West Point (21-9, 6-1 Patriot League) in the opening round Friday, May 12 (1:00 p.m.). The other first-round match at Sunset Courts features No. 27 Ole Miss (16-9, 6-6 SEC) and Big West champion No. 37 UC Santa Barbara (19-5, 5-0). Those teams will also play Friday (10:00 a.m.). The winners will then square off Saturday (1:00 p.m.). Tickets for each day of action will be available at the door. Price of admission for students and children (ages 3-16) is $5. Adult general admission tickets are $8. The first 100 students (w/ valid ID) will receive free admission.
Bruins vs. Army West Point -- The Bruins' Friday meeting with the Black Knights will mark the first in the history of the programs. UCLA has faced off with both Ole Miss and UC Santa Barbara in the past, holding a 6-2 record against the Rebels and a 28-1 mark against the Gauchos. UCLA has already defeated UC Santa Barbara this season, recording a 5-2 win at Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts (Jan. 21). The Bruins dropped the doubles point in that match, but went on to pick up victories on five of six singles courts. Gage Brymer clinched the match with a three-set win over Nicolas Moreno de Alboran on Court 1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
NCAA Singles, Doubles Draws -- Bruins Brymer (21-11, 10-7) and Martin Redlicki (26-7, 19-3) have been given at-large bids to the NCAA Division I singles championships, to be conducted May 24-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia. Additionally, the team of Redlicki and Evan Zhu (18-3, 16-2) earned the Pac-12's automatic bid and will be seeded No. 2 in the doubles championships, to take place at the same time.
Pac-12 Championships Recap -- Despite sitting out the first two days of action due to byes, the Bruins looked fresh in defeating fifth-seeded Stanford, 4-0, in the first semifinal of the Pac-12 Championships (April 28). UCLA earned a narrow doubles victory and rode that momentum to three straight-set singles wins, including the clincher by Maxime Cressy over William Genesen on Court 6, 6-0, 6-3. That win qualified the Bruins for the April 29 championship match and a fourth 2017 showdown with crosstown rival USC. The Trojans would ultimately tie the season series in a thriller that came down to Court 1. USC jumped out to a 3-1 lead and looked poised to make quick work of the Bruins. Cressy and Logan Staggs pulled UCLA even, however, and set up a Court 1 battle between Brymer and USC's Brandon Holt. After splitting the first two sets, the Court 1 players traded games throughout the third. Ultimately, Holt captured the set and match for the Trojans, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
UCLA in the ITA Rankings -- For the second straight week, UCLA checked in at No. 5 in the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's National Team Rankings when they were announced Thursday, May 4. Bruins Brymer (No. 28) and Redlicki (60) were ranked together among the best singles players for the ninth straight week. The doubles team of Redlicki and Zhu, meanwhile, checked in at a season-high No. 3.
Player of the Week Awards -- For his efforts in the Pac-12-regular-season-clinching win over USC (April 21), as well as his singles win against Cal Lutheran, Redlicki was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday, April 24. In addition to his clinching win over Crystal in singles, the junior joined Zhu in upsetting No. 10 duo Brandon Holt and Riley Smith on Court 1 in doubles. The honor marked Redlicki's Pac-12-best third of the season. He now has six for his career. It also completed the regular season with a Pac-12-best five for UCLA. Brymer (Jan. 23) and Zhu (April 10), also each earned a POW nod on the season. The Bruins have 35 in their program history.
Staggs Starring -- Staggs, a junior out of Tracy, Calif., has won 12 singles matches in a row and is 12-0 on the year on Court 4. Overall, Staggs owns an 19-4 record (17-2 in dual-match play). Over a period during late March and early April, he posted the clinching point in three of four matches, including a dramatic 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-4 win over Jayson Amos of Oregon on April 1. The win marked the closest call of regular-season conference play for the Bruins, who edged out the Ducks, 4-3. Staggs has posted six clinching singles points on the season, as well as a double-clinching victory alongside Brymer (Jan. 28 against New Mexico).
Home Cooking -- The Bruins' latest home win completed their regular season with a 14-0 home mark. Over the course of that streak UCLA has outscored opponents 59-13. The Bruins held an unblemished home mark in 2015-16, as they won all 11 of their matches. Dating back to the 2014-15 season, the Bruins have won 26 consecutive home contests at Los Angeles Tennis Center and Sunset Courts.
Professional Bruins -- Bruin tennis alums Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald recently made news with their runs to the semifinals of the USTA Men's Pro Tennis Championships of Calabasas (March 21-26). Top-seeded McDonald won three matches before he fell to No. 4 and eventual champion Sebastian Fanselow of Germany in a walkover. Giron, meanwhile, also won three matches, including an upset over third-seeded American Tommy Paul, 7-5, 6-3. It capped a successful month of March for McDonald, who was honored on March 17 as part of the inaugural Oracle US Tennis Awards in a ceremony at the BNP Paribas Open. The honor includes a $100,000 grant intended to assist McDonald as he transitions from college into the professional ranks.
Head Coach Billy Martin -- Head coach Billy Martin is currently in his 24th season as head coach of the Bruins, and 34th on the staff. During his tenure, Martin's teams have accumulated a dozen conference championships and the 2005 NCAA title. Just two of Martin's teams have finished outside of the top five teams at the season-ending NCAA Championships. They have also not finished outside of the top three teams in the Pac-12 standings. He has earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors four times (1996, 2012-14) and the ITA National Coach of the Year award once (1996). Martin has also led three players (Benjamin Kohlloeffel in 2006, Marcos Giron in 2014 and Mackenzie McDonald in 2016) to the NCAA Singles Championship and two teams (J. Gimelstob/S. Muskatirovic in 1996 and M. McDonald/M. Redlicki in 2016) to the NCAA Doubles crown. An ITA Tennis Hall of Famer, Martin was named the "Junior Player of the Century" by Inside Tennis Magazine. Before turning pro, he played one season at UCLA (1975), during which the Bruins captured an NCAA team championship. He also won the NCAA Singles Championship. Heading into 2017, Martin held an overall record of 524-111 (.825) overall and a 143-27 (.841) mark in Pac-12 play.
Players Mentioned
