On April 4, 2025, at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio, the UCLA men’s tennis team engaged in a tough matchup with Ohio State, ranked third. Columbus gained great experience, but was unable to pull off the upset as the Bruins lost 4-0 despite an incredible effort.
The Bruins got out to a fast start in doubles play, headed by the duo of Giacomo Revelli and Alexander Hoogmartens. The duo recovered from an early service break on court one by combining aggressive net approaches with consistent serving to win 6-3. Ohio State responded, though, with strong performances on the other courts. On the second court, UCLA’s Rudy Quan and Aadarsh Tripathi lost 6-1 as they were unable to keep up with Ohio State’s aggressive baseline play and powerful serving. When it came to the doubles point, UCLA’s Gianluca Ballotta and Emon van Loben Sels put up a strong late comeback, but lost 6-4, giving the Buckeyes a crucial early lead.
UCLA didn’t give up easily as they started singles. On the first court, Quan, who is ranked No. 34 nationally, showed the team’s tenacity. With amazing ball selection and strong forehands, Quan overcame a close loss in a closely contested first-set tiebreaker to defeat Alexander Bernard 6-0 in the second set. As Ohio State secured wins elsewhere, their crucial third set was stopped.
Similarly, against No. 9 ranked Aidan Kim on court two, van Loben Sels, ranked No. 84 nationwide, showed hope. Van Loben Sels won a hard opening set 7-5 before the match was stopped because of Ohio State’s dominant performance.
Even though the Bruins played with dedication, Ohio State’s depth won out. The Buckeyes eventually won 4-0 after winning on courts three, four and six. This outcome put UCLA at 8-8 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten.
As UCLA prepares to play Penn State on April 6 at State College, they immediately shift their attention to recovering. This next game is a critical chance for the Bruins to get back on track and feel confident in conference play. It will be expected that leaders such as Quan and van Loben Sels would establish an assertive tone early on. UCLA’s position in the Big Ten may be greatly improved and crucial momentum might be gained going into the last stretch of the regular season with a win at Penn State.
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Featured Image Photographed by Brianna Carlson/Daily Bruin.
