OJAI, Calif. – The sixth-seeded UCLA men’s tennis was eliminated from the Pac-12 Championships Thursday evening, falling to No. 3-seed Utah by a 4-1 score in quarterfinal-round action at Libbey Park.
Giacomo Revelli turned in the lone singles win for the Bruins (12-10), beating a top-50 counterpart. He also teamed with Timothy Li for the pair’s fourth victory against a nationally-ranked tandem. Gianluca Ballotta also neared a singles win, but was stopped short when the overall result was decided. Prevailing for the Utes (22-4) in singles play were Francisco Bastias, Patrik Trhac and clincher Franco Capalbo.
Utah jumped out to an advantage in doubles play when Bastias and Bruno Caula handed Jeffrey Fradkin and Aadarsh Tripathi a 6-0 loss on Court 3. UCLA answered, though, as the No. 49 combination of Li and Revelli bested No. 53 Trhac and Berk Bugarikj 6-2 on Court 1. Li and Revelli have now beaten four nationally-ranked pairs, including Bugarikj and Trhac in two consecutive matches. Capalbo and Geronimo Espin Busleiman ultimately outlasted Ballotta and Patrick Zahraj 6-4 on Court 2 to seal initial point in favor of the Utes.
Revelli briefly pulled the Bruins even when got the better of Espin Busleiman in a 6-3, 6-4 decision on Court 2. The victory represents Revelli’s second of the season versus a top-50 opponent, as he previously knocked off No. 44 Bradley Frye of USC at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships during the fall.
Utah retook the lead when No. 97 Bastias overcame Tripathi 6-4, 6-3 on Court 3. Trhac followed with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph of his own over Fradkin on Court 6. Then No. 98 Capalbo held off Zahraj 6-1, 7-6(3) on Court 1 to seal the result. Ballotta led 7-6(4), 5-0 on Court 5 when the Utes’ fourth point was added to the scoreboard.
The NCAA tournament field will be announced Monday, May 1 with the unveiling of the selections at 3:30 p.m. PT on NCAA.com.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs Utah
4/27/2023 at Ojai, CA
(Libbey Park)
#19 Utah 4, #36 UCLA 1
Singles competition
1. #98 Franco Capalbo (UTAH) def. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
2. Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) def. #43 G. Espin Busleiman (UTAH) 6-3, 6-4
3. #97 Francisco Bastias (UTAH) def. Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) 6-4, 6-3
4. Bruno Caula (UTAH) vs. Azuma Visaya (UCLA) 6-2, 3-6,…
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