Men's Tennis Drops 4-3 Thriller at San Diego
SAN DIEGO – The UCLA men's tennis team was outlasted by the University of San Diego Monday afternoon, falling by a 4-3 score at Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center.
The Bruins (4-6) answered to 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 deficits, but could never gain the upper hand. August Holmgren of the Toreros (7-2) bested Drew Baird on Court 1 for the difference-making point.
USD earned a momentary advantage to start the match, as David Norfeldt and Marvin Schaber defeated Stefan Leustian and Bryce Pereira by a 6-2 margin on Court 3. UCLA would quickly answer, however, as Pacific Coast Doubles Championship title winners Baird and Alexander Hoogmartens carried their success into a 6-2 win versus No. 43 Holmgren and Gui Osorio on the top court.
Giacomo Revelli and Patrick Zahraj held a 5-3 lead on the second court, but the Bruins were unable to close it out, as Will Davies and Iiro Vasa took three straight games before a tiebreaker was forced. There, Davies and Vasa narrowly seized the victory, 10-8, and the doubles point for the Toreros.
Karl Lee answered quickly for UCLA to start singles play. He knocked off Iiro Vasa, 6-4, 6-0, for his 10th singles win of the campaign to get the Bruins on the board.
Sacchit Sharrma of USD answered with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Zahraj on Court 3, but right on their heels was the next court up. The 59th-ranked Hoogmartens pulled UCLA even again with a 6-2, 6-3 effort against Osorio on Court 2. Hoogmartens has now won three singles decisions in a row. His previous two matches were left unfinished, though, he had a set advantage in each.
Davies put the Toreros one point away from the overall win, as he edged out Leustian in back-to-back tiebreakers. Revelli would keep the Bruins in it, though, dispatching of Alex Stater in three sets on Court 4. The 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 decision bumped Revelli's dual-match singles record to 4-3.
That left the team result to be decided on Court 1, where Baird and the eighth-ranked Holmgren alternated the first two sets. Holmgren ultimately held off Baird in the back-and-forth third, securing a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
UCLA returns to action Thursday, when top-ranked TCU visits Los Angeles Tennis Center. First serve is set for 1 p.m. PT.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs San Diego
3/7/2022 at San Diego, CA
(Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center)
#35 San Diego 4, #59 UCLA 3
Singles competition
1. #8 August Holmgren (USD) def. Drew Baird (UCLA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
2. #59 A. Hoogmartens (UCLA) def. Gui Osorio (USD) 6-2, 6-3
3. Sacchit Sharrma (USD) def. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 6-2, 6-2
4. Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) def. Alex Stater (USD) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
5. Karl Lee (UCLA) def. Iiro Vasa (USD) 6-4, 6-0
6. Will Davies (USD) def. Stefan Leustian (UCLA) 7-6, 7-6
Doubles competition
1. Drew Baird/A. Hoogmartens (UCLA) def. #43 August Holmgren/Gui Osorio (USD) 6-2
2. Will Davies/Iiro Vasa (USD) def. Giacomo Revelli/Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 7-6 (10-8)
3. David Norfeldt/Marvin Schaber (USD) def. Stefan Leustian/Bryce Pereira (UCLA) 6-2
Match Notes:
UCLA 4-6; National ranking #59
San Diego 7-2; National ranking #35
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,3,2,6,4,1)