Men's Tennis Downs California in Pac-12 Opener

LOS ANGELES – The No. 59 UCLA men's tennis team bounced back from an early deficit to defeat No. 27 California by a 4-1 score Friday afternoon at Los Angeles Tennis Center.

The match represented the first in Pac-12 play for the Bruins (5-7, 1-0 Pac-12). UCLA swept the four completes singles matches, with three going the distance. Karl Lee provided the heroics with his first-career clinching win. Alexander Hoogmartens, Stefan Leustian and Giacomo Revelli were also victorious on the singles courts. The Golden Bears (10-4, 1-1) seized the doubles point, but could not get on the board again.

Cal quickly gained an advantage in doubles play, as Alex Chang and Philip Hjorth raced out to a 6-0 win against Eric Hahn and Max Wild on Court 3. Then, with the Golden Bears staked to leads on both Courts 1 and 2, it was the 28th-ranked combination of Yuta Kikuchi and Carl Emil Overbeck on the top court that clinched the first point with a 6-2 victory against Revelli and Patrick Zahraj.

The Bruins picked up the four singles first sets to begin shifting momentum in their direction. Their deficit was quickly erased when Revelli bested Hill by a 6-1, 6-3 margin on Court 3. Revelli's third win in a row is the first of his career on the third court.

The subsequent finished contests went the distance, including the top-court showdown between No. 38 Hoogmartens and No. 102 Kikuchi. In his first-career match on Court 1, Hoogmartens needed to rebound from a lost first set. He did just that, posting a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory for his fifth in as many decisions.

Next off was the team-leader in singles wins, Leustian, who registered his 12th. Tasked with taking down Lucas Magnaudet on Court 6, the sophomore sandwiched a pair of triumphant sets into a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory that made it 3-1.

Leustian's fellow Sacramento, Calif. native Lee neared a straight-set win before Overbeck forced the decider. A back-and-forth affair there was even at 5-5 before Lee took the final two games, including a break of serve at 6-5. He improved to 11-8 with the nail-biting win.

UCLA will take on another nationally-ranked opponent at LATC Saturday, when No. 13 Stanford pays a visit. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT.

Tennis Match Results
California vs UCLA
3/25/2022 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)

#59 UCLA 4, #27 California 1

Singles competition
1. #38 A. Hoogmartens (UCLA) def. #102 Yuta Kikuchi (CAL) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
2. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) vs. Philip Hjorth (CAL) 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
3. Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) def. Sean Hill (CAL) 6-1, 6-3
4. Karl Lee (UCLA) def. Carl Emil Overbeck (CAL) 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
5. Eric Hahn (UCLA) vs. Derrick Chen (CAL) 6-2, 5-7, 3-3, unfinished
6. Stefan Leustian (UCLA) def. Lucas Magnaudet (CAL) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. #28 Yuta Kikuchi/Carl Emil Overbeck (CAL) def. Giacomo Revelli/Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 6-3
2. A. Hoogmartens/Bryce Pereira (UCLA) vs. Sean Hill/Lucas Magnaudet (CAL) 2-5, unfinished
3. Alex Chang/Philip Hjorth (CAL) def. Eric Hahn/Max Wild (UCLA) 6-0

Match Notes:
California 10-4; National ranking #27
UCLA 5-7; National ranking #59
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,1,6,4)