Men's Tennis Falls to No. 18 Arizona in Pac-12 Opener
TUCSON, Ariz. – The UCLA men's tennis team dropped its Pac-12 opener by a 4-0 score against No. 18 Arizona Friday afternoon at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.
The Bruins (8-5, 0-1 Pac-12) pushed the Wildcats (16-4, 2-1) to their limit in doubles play, but were outlasted in a tiebreaker on the final court. Gustaf Strom clinched the overall victory for Arizona.
Strom and Eric Padgham notched a 6-3 win versus Jeffrey Fradkin and Aadarsh Tripathi on the third doubles court for the day's first result. Timothy Li and Giacomo Revelli of UCLA faced a 3-5 top-court deficit against the 73rd-ranked tandem of Jay Friend and Jonas Ziverts, but charged back to take the last four games and for the victory in their first match as a pair. That put all eyes on Court 2, which entered a tiebreaker soon thereafter. Ultimately, it was the team of Wildcats Nick Lagaev and Colton Smith that prevailed, getting past Stefan Leustian and Patrick Zahraj by a 7-6(5) margin.
No. 45 Ziverts pushed Arizona's lead to 2-0 with his 6-2, 6-2 versus Revelli on Court 2. Dominique Rolland followed by defeating Leustian 6-4, 6-1 on Court 6.
Zahraj was one game shy of forcing a third set on Court 1, while Gianluca Ballotta of the Bruins had already entered one on Court 5. UCLA's Azuma Visaya, meanwhile, was up a set when the decision was sealed. Strom turned in a 6-2, 6-1 showing on Court 3 opposite Tripathi, finalizing the result.
The Bruins have a chance to bounce back Sunday, when they visit Arizona State's Whiteman Tennis Center. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. PT.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs Arizona
3/31/2023 at Tucson, AZ
(LaNelle Robson Tennis Center)
#18 Arizona 4, #37 UCLA 0
Singles competition
1. #80 Colton Smith (ARIZ) vs. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 6-3, 4-5, unfinished
2. #45 Jonas Ziverts (ARIZ) def. Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) 6-2, 6-2
3. Gustaf Strom (ARIZ) def. Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) 6-2, 6-1
4. #91 Nick Lagaev (ARIZ) vs. Azuma Visaya (UCLA) 4-6, 4-3, unfinished
5. Jay Friend (ARIZ) vs. Gianluca Ballotta (UCLA) 1-6, 6-1, 2-2, unfinished
6. Dominique Rolland (ARIZ) def. Stefan Leustian (UCLA) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Timothy Li/Giacomo Revelli (UCLA) def. #73 Jay Friend/Jonas Ziverts (ARIZ) 7-5
2. Nick Lagaev/Colton Smith (ARIZ) def. Stefan Leustian/Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Eric Padgham/Gustaf Strom (ARIZ) def. Jeffrey Fradkin/Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) 6-3
Match Notes:
UCLA 8-5; National ranking #37
Arizona 16-4; National ranking #18
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,6,3)