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Men's Tennis Announces Signings of Three Standouts

by uclabruins.com
Nov 24, 2020

LOS ANGELES – A trio of highly-rated prospects has signed National Letters of Intent to attend UCLA, men's tennis head coach Billy Martin announced Tuesday. Alexander Hoogmartens (Brussels, Belgium / Stedelijk Lyceum), Spencer Johnson (Ladera, Calif. / Utah Connections Academy) and Karl Lee (Sacramento, Calif. / Laurel Springs School) are eligible to begin their collegiate careers during the 2021-22 academic year.

Hoogmartens, a recent participant at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros junior tournaments, has been slotted as high as No. 37 in the ITF junior rankings. Johnson, regarded as a Blue-Chip talent by TennisRecruiting.net, is ranked as the top player in the state of Utah and Mountain region by the site. Lee is the No. 2 player in the state of California and Southwest Region, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, which also lists him as a Blue-Chip prospect.

Alexander Hoogmartens, Brussels, Belgium (Stedelijk Lyceum)
Career-high ITF junior ranking: 37 … reached singles second round at 2020 Australian Open Junior Championships … with partner Dali Blanch, reached doubles second round at 2020 Australian Open Junior Championships … reached Boys' singles second round at Roland-Garros in 2020; also participated in doubles tournament … seized singles title at J2 Causeway Bay (Hong Kong Open Junior Championships) tournament in 2019; also earned ITF junior singles crowns at J2 Rakovnik in 2020, J3 Sobota, J4 Nottingham and J4 Cadolzburg events in 2019 … with partner Pierre Yves Bailly, collected doubles title at J1 Charleroi-Marcinelle (Belgian International Junior Championships) in 2019 … with partner Jeffrey von Der Schulenburg, won doubles crown at 2019 Eddie Herr International Championships in Bradenton, Fla.

MARTIN ON HOOGMARTENS: "Alex, although I've never seen him play in person, I have had the opportunity to watch some video of him playing as recently as the French Open juniors. He is one of the top international tennis players. We are so happy to have him come and I really feel he's going to be an integral part of UCLA continuing to be a dominant force in men's tennis."

Spencer Johnson, Ladera, Calif. (Utah Connections Academy)
Blue-Chip recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net; reached No. 17 in 2020 … ranked No. 1 in state of Utah, Mountain region by TennisRecruiting.net … advanced to singles final round at 2020 Newport Beach UTR event … reached Boys' 16 singles semifinal round at 2019 Eddie Herr International Championships in Bradenton, Fla.; also qualified for Orange Bowl International Championships in Plantation, Fla., USTA Boys' 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. and USTA International Spring Championships in Carson, Calif. in 2019 … with partner Tyler Wells, won Boys' 16 doubles title at 2018 Mike Agassi "No Quit" Championships in Las Vegas.

MARTIN ON JOHNSON: "Spencer Johnson is a young man who, I believe, has an incredible upside. Maybe not as strong a résumé as our other two recruits coming in, but I think he's someone that, down the line, has great potential, and I'm hoping that our UCLA coaching staff can bring that out and have him be one of our top players in the years to come."

Karl Lee, Sacramento, Calif. (Laurel Springs School)
Blue-Chip recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net; reached No. 1 in 2017 .. ranked No. 2 in state of California, Southwest region by TennisRecruiting.net … collected singles title at 2020 Newport Beach UTR event … captured singles title at 2018 PTT-ITF Junior Grade 5 in Thailand … earned Boys' 14 singles championship at 2016 Zimmerman/Johnson USTA National Tournament in Stanford, Calif. … reached singles semifinal round at 2016 NorCal Boys' 16 Junior Sectional Championships in Sacramento, Calif. … with partner Hunter Heck, won Boys' 12 doubles title at 2015 Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, Calif. … with Heck, earned Boys' 12 doubles crown at 2014 USTA National Winter Championships in Tucson, Ariz.; also reached Boys' 12 singles Silver Draw final round … with partner Benjamin Kittay, won Boys' 12 doubles title at 2015 USTA National Championships in Little Rock, Ark.

MARTIN ON LEE: "We are so happy to have Karl Lee joining our UCLA men's tennis team. I've been fortunate enough to be able to watch Karl throughout the last couple years as his tennis game has developed. He is a wonderful young man and great student. I think he will be a great fit and be someone to help us carry on our UCLA tradition."

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