The UCLA men’s tennis team (5-2) begins a stretch of five matches in two weeks Wednesday at 2 p.m. PT, when it welcomes Pennsylvania (5-5) to Los Angeles Tennis Center. Four of the five matches will be played on the Bruins’ home courts, while three are to be played against Ivy League foes. UCLA begins Pac-12 play at the conclusion of this stretch.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA men’s tennis matches in person can still follow live. Live streaming and live scoring will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA was bested by crosstown rival and No. 8-ranked USC in a 4-0 non-conference result March 1 at Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins saw freshmen Gianluca Ballotta and Aadarsh Tripathi each nab a set, but both matches were left unfinished. The Trojans got singles wins from Bradley Frye, Lodewijk Weststrate and clincher Peter Makk. UCLA also sent a contingent to the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in La Jolla, Calif. There, the Bruin tandems of Gianluca Ballotta/Stefan Leustian and Timothy Li/Patrick Zahraj reached the historic tournament’s second round.
UCLA VS. PENNSYLVANIA
UCLA and Pennsylvania have never squared off on the tennis courts. Against Ivy League programs, UCLA holds an all-time record of 19-0.
SCOUTING THE QUAKERS
Currently slotted at No. 41 in the latest ITA Team Computerized Rankings, Pennsylvania holds a record of 5-5 and most recently lost 4-1 at Pepperdine (March 5). Individually, Edoardo Graziani is No. 66 on the singles list. Edoardo Graziani and Kevin Zhu form the No. 3 doubles team in the nation.
IN THE RANKINGS
A winner of five decisions in a row – all against top-50 counterparts – Alexander Hoogmartens sits at No. 48 in the latest ITA National Singles Rankings, announced Feb. 21. He has now been listed in the top 80 nationally of every installment of the singles rankings since Dec. 8, 2021. Hoogmartens reached a career-best No. 15 Feb. 8. UCLA is No. 33 in the most recent ITA Team Rankings, released Feb. 28. All rankings have been computerized since Feb. 21. The top 25 teams were previously determined by coaches poll.
CLINCH WATCH
Azuma Visaya (Pepperdine and Hawai’i) has two clinching wins this season to lead the Bruins. Gianluca Ballotta (Portland), Giacomo Revelli (vs….
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