Saturday, February 22
Los Angeles, Calif.
1:00 PM
UCLA
vs
USC
Giacomo Revelli (foreground) and Gianluca Ballotta
Photo by: Hritika Chaturvedi
Men's Tennis Hosts Latest Chapter of Crosstown Rivalry Saturday
February 19, 2025 | Men's Tennis
The UCLA men's tennis team welcomes USC to Los Angeles Tennis Center Saturday in the latest chapter of the programs' crosstown rivalry. First serve in the non-conference matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT. Both teams played Pepperdine most recently, with the Bruins (2-5) falling 4-2 at home Sunday and the Trojans (5-3) prevailing 4-3 on the road one day earlier. UCLA swept the season series with USC in 2024, winning 4-1 on the road (March 29) and coming out on top of a 4-2 result at LATC (April 16). Saturday's contest represents UCLA's GolDEN Match. Free pizza will be available to the first 100 attendees at the conclusion of doubles play and the UCLA Band will perform before play begins and after doubles.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA men's tennis matches can still follow live. Point-by-point scoring and streaming will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
Additionally, in-match updates for home and road contests can be found on the UCLA men's tennis X account.
PAST MATCHUPS
Series vs. USC: UCLA leads 89-59
Most Recent vs. USC: UCLA won 4-2 on April 16, 2024 at Los Angeles Tennis Center (Recap)
LAST TIME OUT
In a near-four-hour-long match that featured seven tiebreakers across its six singles contests, the UCLA men's tennis team fell 4-2 against No. 25 Pepperdine Sunday afternoon at Los Angeles Tennis Center. Linus Carlsson Halldin of the Waves won a third-set tiebreaker in clinching fashion. Kaylan Bigun and Alexander Hoogmartens momentarily gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead, but Edward Winter and Lasse Poertner ultimately joined Carlsson Halldin in prevailing for Pepperdine. UCLA's Gianluca Ballotta held multiple match points when the match was abandoned.
FRESH FACES
In the Bruins' match Sunday against No. 25 Pepperdine, freshmen Rudy Quan and Kaylan Bigun occupied the top two singles courts. On Court 1, the 49th-ranked Quan dropped a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 decision to Edward Winter. Bigun, meanwhile, earned his first career collegiate singles win with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over No. 32 Maxi Homberg on the second court. This represented the first time UCLA had freshmen in its top two singles spots since March 29, 2022. In that match, a 7-0 win versus San Diego State, now-seniors Alexander Hoogmartens and Giacomo Revelli played on Courts 1 and 2, respectively.
IN THE RANKINGS
Singles (Feb. 5, 2025): No. 12 Spencer Johnson*, No. 49 Rudy Quan*, No. 63 Emon van Loben Sels*
Doubles (Feb. 5, 2025): No. 17 Alexander Hoogmartens/Aadarsh Tripathi
* - set or matched career high
AWARD WATCH
Quan Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week โ Jan. 22
Johnson Earns Spot on Big Ten Men's Tennis Player to Watch List โ Jan. 10
Johnson Named Big Ten Player of the Week After Championship Run โ Oct. 23, 2024
FALL RECAP
Bruins competed at six fall tournaments, concluding with the first-ever fall NCAA individual championships. There was a UCLA sweep at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Tempe, Ariz., where Spencer Johnson collected the singles title and Alexander Hoogmartens/Aadarsh Tripathi walked away with the doubles crown. Emon van Loben Sels reached the singles semifinals at Kiwanis Tennis Center. Each of those standout performances was rewarded with a ticket to NCAAs in Waco, Texas. Johnson won three matches there, reaching the quarterfinal round. Hoogmartens/Tripathi also had a quarterfinal run. Those showings garnered each All-America recognition. A singles win was also picked up by van Loben Sels. Johnson (10-2) and van Loben Sels (10-5) tied for the team lead with 10 singles victories during the fall, while Hoogmartens/Tripathi went a perfect 7-0 before the pair was unable to go in its finale.
2023-24 IN REVIEW
UCLA registered a 15-8 overall record and finished No. 22 in the final ITA team rankings of 2024. The Bruins beat LSU in the NCAA Championships opening round before falling to second-seeded Texas. A seven-match winning streak from March 29-April 21 included a 4-3 victory against 19th-ranked Stanford and a pair of decisions over crosstown rival USC. Individually, Spencer Johnson was named the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and a first-team honoree by the conference. He logged team highs of 23 singles wins and 21 doubles victories. Govind Nanda, also an All-Pac-12 First Team pick, was tabbed the ITA Southwest Region's Senior Player of the Year. He also qualified for the NCAA singles tournament. Alexander Hoogmartens made the conference second team.
WHO'S BACK?
UCLA returns All-Pac-12 performers Alexander Hoogmartens (second team) and Spencer Johnson (first team) from the 2023-24 roster. Johnson was also the conference's Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. In addition to Hoogmartens (seven) and Johnson (14), Gianluca Ballotta (six), Giacomo Revelli (six), Emon van Loben Sels (three) and Aadarsh Tripathi (four) logged dual-match singles wins in 2024. Hoogmartens (12), Johnson (13) and van Loben Sels (12) were double-digit winners on the doubles side in dual-match play.
WHO'S NEW?
UCLA has five freshmen on its roster in 2025: Kaylan Bigun (Los Angeles, Calif./Bridgeway Academy), Cassius Chinlund (Los Angeles, Calif./ICL Academy), Andrei Crabel (Beverly Hills, Calif./Bridgeway Academy), Rudy Quan (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Century Academy) and Leo von Bismarck (Hamburg, Germany/Eliteschule des Sports Alter Teichweg). Bigun in 2024 claimed the French Open boys' singles title and climbed to No. 1 in the ITF junior rankings. Chinlund, who made it to No. 1 in the USTA junior singles rankings, won the Boys' 18 singles crown at the 2023 Easter Bowl. Crabel is a veteran of ITF events and paired with teammate Spencer Johnson at two Lakewood, CA events. Quan rose to No. 2 in his class according to the Tennis Recruiting Network and lifted the Boys' 18 singles trophy at the 2024 FILA International Junior Championships. Another frequent ITF competitor, von Bismarck picked up singles wins at the Hilversum and Hamburg events in 2023 and made a doubles semifinal round at Fleesensee in 2022.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Former UCLA standouts continue to become household names in the professional ranks, with Maxime Cressy, Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald and Jean-Julien Rojer turning in notable results across the Grand Slams and on the ATP Tour in recent years. Cressy picked up his first ATP Tour championship and saw his singles ranking reach a career-best No. 31 when he beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan at the 2022 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I. An ATP doubles title followed for Cressy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he teamed with Fabrice Martin to take the 2023 Dubai Open's top prize. Giron rose to a career-high spot of No. 37 on the singles list when he claimed his first ATP crown by knocking off fellow American Alex Michelsen at the 2024 Hall of Fame Open. Giron recently made the 2025 Australian Open singles third round and reached the Roland-Garros singles third round for the second time in 2023. His 2023 also included top-10 wins against Holger Rune of Denmark and Casper Ruud of Norway. McDonald, who opened 2023 by beating top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal in three sets at the Australian Open, represented the United States at the Davis Cup Finals in Uzbekistan and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 37 the same year. Rojer collected his fourth Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros in 2022, teaming with Marcelo Arevalo to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the final. Rojer won three ATP championships with Arevalo in 2023 and another alongside Lloyd Glasspool in 2024.
MARTIN MILESTONES
Head coach Billy Martin is in his 32nd year at the helm of the UCLA men's tennis program and this season marks his 42nd since joining the staff of friend, mentor and fellow UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Glenn Bassett. Martin, who passed Bassett to became the program's all-time leader in head-coaching wins during the 2019 season, is the longest-tenured active coach at UCLA. He holds a career record of 659-171 (.794) as head coach. Martin guided the 2005 Bruins to the program's 16th NCAA team title and 23 of his squads have finished in the top five at the season-ending NCAA Championships. Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006), Marcos Giron (2014) and Mackenzie McDonald (2016) have earned NCAA singles titles on Martin's watch, while UCLA has become a frequent landing spot for doubles champions of late. In addition to 1996 winners Justin Gimelstob and Srdjan Muskatirovic, three of the most recent seven titleholders โ McDonald/Martin Redlicki in 2016, Redlicki/Evan Zhu in 2018 and Maxime Cressy/Keegan Smith in 2019 โ have called Westwood home.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA men's tennis matches can still follow live. Point-by-point scoring and streaming will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
Additionally, in-match updates for home and road contests can be found on the UCLA men's tennis X account.
PAST MATCHUPS
Series vs. USC: UCLA leads 89-59
Most Recent vs. USC: UCLA won 4-2 on April 16, 2024 at Los Angeles Tennis Center (Recap)
LAST TIME OUT
In a near-four-hour-long match that featured seven tiebreakers across its six singles contests, the UCLA men's tennis team fell 4-2 against No. 25 Pepperdine Sunday afternoon at Los Angeles Tennis Center. Linus Carlsson Halldin of the Waves won a third-set tiebreaker in clinching fashion. Kaylan Bigun and Alexander Hoogmartens momentarily gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead, but Edward Winter and Lasse Poertner ultimately joined Carlsson Halldin in prevailing for Pepperdine. UCLA's Gianluca Ballotta held multiple match points when the match was abandoned.
FRESH FACES
In the Bruins' match Sunday against No. 25 Pepperdine, freshmen Rudy Quan and Kaylan Bigun occupied the top two singles courts. On Court 1, the 49th-ranked Quan dropped a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 decision to Edward Winter. Bigun, meanwhile, earned his first career collegiate singles win with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over No. 32 Maxi Homberg on the second court. This represented the first time UCLA had freshmen in its top two singles spots since March 29, 2022. In that match, a 7-0 win versus San Diego State, now-seniors Alexander Hoogmartens and Giacomo Revelli played on Courts 1 and 2, respectively.
IN THE RANKINGS
Singles (Feb. 5, 2025): No. 12 Spencer Johnson*, No. 49 Rudy Quan*, No. 63 Emon van Loben Sels*
Doubles (Feb. 5, 2025): No. 17 Alexander Hoogmartens/Aadarsh Tripathi
* - set or matched career high
AWARD WATCH
Quan Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week โ Jan. 22
Johnson Earns Spot on Big Ten Men's Tennis Player to Watch List โ Jan. 10
Johnson Named Big Ten Player of the Week After Championship Run โ Oct. 23, 2024
FALL RECAP
Bruins competed at six fall tournaments, concluding with the first-ever fall NCAA individual championships. There was a UCLA sweep at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Tempe, Ariz., where Spencer Johnson collected the singles title and Alexander Hoogmartens/Aadarsh Tripathi walked away with the doubles crown. Emon van Loben Sels reached the singles semifinals at Kiwanis Tennis Center. Each of those standout performances was rewarded with a ticket to NCAAs in Waco, Texas. Johnson won three matches there, reaching the quarterfinal round. Hoogmartens/Tripathi also had a quarterfinal run. Those showings garnered each All-America recognition. A singles win was also picked up by van Loben Sels. Johnson (10-2) and van Loben Sels (10-5) tied for the team lead with 10 singles victories during the fall, while Hoogmartens/Tripathi went a perfect 7-0 before the pair was unable to go in its finale.
2023-24 IN REVIEW
UCLA registered a 15-8 overall record and finished No. 22 in the final ITA team rankings of 2024. The Bruins beat LSU in the NCAA Championships opening round before falling to second-seeded Texas. A seven-match winning streak from March 29-April 21 included a 4-3 victory against 19th-ranked Stanford and a pair of decisions over crosstown rival USC. Individually, Spencer Johnson was named the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and a first-team honoree by the conference. He logged team highs of 23 singles wins and 21 doubles victories. Govind Nanda, also an All-Pac-12 First Team pick, was tabbed the ITA Southwest Region's Senior Player of the Year. He also qualified for the NCAA singles tournament. Alexander Hoogmartens made the conference second team.
WHO'S BACK?
UCLA returns All-Pac-12 performers Alexander Hoogmartens (second team) and Spencer Johnson (first team) from the 2023-24 roster. Johnson was also the conference's Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. In addition to Hoogmartens (seven) and Johnson (14), Gianluca Ballotta (six), Giacomo Revelli (six), Emon van Loben Sels (three) and Aadarsh Tripathi (four) logged dual-match singles wins in 2024. Hoogmartens (12), Johnson (13) and van Loben Sels (12) were double-digit winners on the doubles side in dual-match play.
WHO'S NEW?
UCLA has five freshmen on its roster in 2025: Kaylan Bigun (Los Angeles, Calif./Bridgeway Academy), Cassius Chinlund (Los Angeles, Calif./ICL Academy), Andrei Crabel (Beverly Hills, Calif./Bridgeway Academy), Rudy Quan (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Century Academy) and Leo von Bismarck (Hamburg, Germany/Eliteschule des Sports Alter Teichweg). Bigun in 2024 claimed the French Open boys' singles title and climbed to No. 1 in the ITF junior rankings. Chinlund, who made it to No. 1 in the USTA junior singles rankings, won the Boys' 18 singles crown at the 2023 Easter Bowl. Crabel is a veteran of ITF events and paired with teammate Spencer Johnson at two Lakewood, CA events. Quan rose to No. 2 in his class according to the Tennis Recruiting Network and lifted the Boys' 18 singles trophy at the 2024 FILA International Junior Championships. Another frequent ITF competitor, von Bismarck picked up singles wins at the Hilversum and Hamburg events in 2023 and made a doubles semifinal round at Fleesensee in 2022.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Former UCLA standouts continue to become household names in the professional ranks, with Maxime Cressy, Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald and Jean-Julien Rojer turning in notable results across the Grand Slams and on the ATP Tour in recent years. Cressy picked up his first ATP Tour championship and saw his singles ranking reach a career-best No. 31 when he beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan at the 2022 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I. An ATP doubles title followed for Cressy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he teamed with Fabrice Martin to take the 2023 Dubai Open's top prize. Giron rose to a career-high spot of No. 37 on the singles list when he claimed his first ATP crown by knocking off fellow American Alex Michelsen at the 2024 Hall of Fame Open. Giron recently made the 2025 Australian Open singles third round and reached the Roland-Garros singles third round for the second time in 2023. His 2023 also included top-10 wins against Holger Rune of Denmark and Casper Ruud of Norway. McDonald, who opened 2023 by beating top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal in three sets at the Australian Open, represented the United States at the Davis Cup Finals in Uzbekistan and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 37 the same year. Rojer collected his fourth Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros in 2022, teaming with Marcelo Arevalo to defeat Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the final. Rojer won three ATP championships with Arevalo in 2023 and another alongside Lloyd Glasspool in 2024.
MARTIN MILESTONES
Head coach Billy Martin is in his 32nd year at the helm of the UCLA men's tennis program and this season marks his 42nd since joining the staff of friend, mentor and fellow UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Glenn Bassett. Martin, who passed Bassett to became the program's all-time leader in head-coaching wins during the 2019 season, is the longest-tenured active coach at UCLA. He holds a career record of 659-171 (.794) as head coach. Martin guided the 2005 Bruins to the program's 16th NCAA team title and 23 of his squads have finished in the top five at the season-ending NCAA Championships. Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006), Marcos Giron (2014) and Mackenzie McDonald (2016) have earned NCAA singles titles on Martin's watch, while UCLA has become a frequent landing spot for doubles champions of late. In addition to 1996 winners Justin Gimelstob and Srdjan Muskatirovic, three of the most recent seven titleholders โ McDonald/Martin Redlicki in 2016, Redlicki/Evan Zhu in 2018 and Maxime Cressy/Keegan Smith in 2019 โ have called Westwood home.
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