Men's Tennis Falls to Oregon at Pac-12 Championships

OJAI, Calif. – The third-seeded and 22nd-ranked UCLA men's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 6-seed Oregon in Pac-12 Championships quarterfinal-round play Thursday evening at Libbey Park.

The Bruins (14-7) collected the doubles point, but were stopped in singles play. Vlad Breazu, Lenn Luemkemann, Quinn Vandecasteele and clincher Matthew Burton notched singles victories for the Ducks (15-12).

Breazu and Avi Shugar registered a 6-1 victory against Timothy Li and Aadarsh Tripathi on Court 3 to officially begin doubles play. Spencer Johnson and Emon van Loben Sels answered for UCLA, beating No. 46 Burton and Vandecasteele 6-4 on Court 1 for their second ranked win of the campaign. That turned the focus to Court 2, where Alexander Hoogmartens and Govind Nanda overcame an 0-2 deficit and claimed the final three games for a 6-4 victory of their own. The combination of Hoogmartens and Nanda has tallied nine wins in a row.

Four singles first sets went to Oregon. No. 90 Vandecasteele bested No. 26 Nanda 6-3, 6-4 on Court 1, tying the score. Breazu's second victory of the night came by way of a 6-3, 6-4 result over Hoogmartens on Court 3.

Luemkemann extended the Ducks' lead on Court 5, downing Gianluca Ballotta 6-4, 7-5. Then, in the dual match's only three-set decision, Burton overcame Giacomo Revelli 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. The Bruins' Jorge Plans Gonzalez finished one game shy of a win on Court 6.

UCLA next turns its attention to the NCAA Championships selection show, scheduled for Monday, April 29 at 3 p.m. PT.

Tennis Match Results
Oregon vs UCLA
4/25/2024 at Ojai, CA (Libbey Park)

#61 Oregon 4, #22 UCLA 1

Singles competition
1. #90 Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) def. #26 Govind Nanda (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
2. #105 Spencer Johnson (UCLA) vs. David Cierny (ORE) 6-3, 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
3. Vlad Breazu (ORE) def. Alexander Hoogmartens (UCLA) 6-4, 6-2
4. Matthew Burton (ORE) def. Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
5. Lenn Luemkemann (ORE) def. Gianluca Ballotta (UCLA) 6-4, 7-5
6. Jorge Plans Gonzalez (UCLA) vs. Ray Lo (ORE) 7-5, 6-5, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Spencer Johnson/Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA) def. #46 Matthew Burton/Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) 6-4
2. Alexander Hoogmartens/Govind Nanda (UCLA) def. Ray Lo/Lenn Luemkemann (ORE) 6-4
3. Vlad Breazu/Avi Shugar (ORE) def. Timothy Li/Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) 6-1

Match Notes:
Oregon 15-12; National ranking #61
UCLA 14-7; National ranking #22
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,3,5,4)
Pac-12 Championships - Quarterfinal Round