In a high-stakes opening weekend of NCAA men’s tennis action, #16 UCLA delivered back-to-back victories to book its spot in the Sweet 16. The Bruins opened with a dominant 4–0 win over UC Santa Barbara before toppling Pac-12 rival and 11th-seeded California 4–2 in a dramatic second-round showdown at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
UCLA made a statement in Friday’s first-round match against #35 UC Santa Barbara, securing the doubles point and never looking back. On court one, Alexander Hoogmartens and Giacomo Revelli cruised past UCSB’s Gianluca Brunkow and Lucca Liu, while Spencer Johnson and Aadarsh Tripathi sealed the point with a 7–6 (7-2) win over Conrad Brown and Dominique Rolland on court two.
The Bruins then took control in singles. Kaylan Bigun rolled past Liu 6–3, 6–2 on court three. Johnson followed with a 7–6 (7-3), 6–2 win over Charlie Underwood on court five, and Revelli clinched the sweep with a 6–3, 7–5 victory over Matei Gavrea on court six. Three matches were left unfinished, but the message was clear — UCLA was locked in and ready for the next round.
That next round came with added intensity on Saturday, as the Bruins faced #11 California in a rematch of familiar foes. This time, UCLA had revenge — and a Sweet 16 berth — on its mind.
Cal struck first in doubles, winning courts one and three to take the point. Cal’s Theo Dean and Carl Emil Overbeck defeated Hoogmartens and Revelli 6–3 on court one. Timofey Stepanov and Mikey Wright clinched the point for the Bears on court three. Johnson and Tripathi kept UCLA alive with a 6–3 win on court two, but the Bruins entered singles play trailing 0–1.
They didn’t trail for long.
Johnson continued his dominant weekend, leveling the match with a 6–2, 6–3 win over Derrick Chen on court five. Revelli gave UCLA the lead with a 6–4, 7–6 (7–5) victory at court six. Bigun then delivered a clutch performance, outlasting the 60th-ranked Dean 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 (7–4) to push the Bruins within one of the win.
Cal pushed back. Overbeck fought off Rudy Quan in a tense three-setter on court one, tying the match at 2–2 with a 5–7, 7–5, 6–3 win. But it was Hoogmartens who came through under pressure, grinding out a 7–6 (9–7), 1–6, 6–3 win over Stepanov to clinch the upset. The final match on court two was suspended at 5–5 in the third, with UCLA already moving on.
The wins mark UCLA’s 18th of the season and send them to the NCAA Round of 16 with momentum and confidence.
Match Summaries:
First Round – May 2, 2025
#16 UCLA: 4, #35 UC Santa Barbara: 0
Doubles:
UCLA Hoogmartens/Revelli def. UCSB Brunkow/Liu, 6-4
UCLA Johnson/Tripathi def. UCSB Brown/Rolland, 6–2
UCSB Diogo Morais/Underwood def. UCLA Gianluca Ballotta/Emon van Loben Sels, 7-6 (7-5)
Singles:
UCLA Bigun def. UCSB Liu, 6–3, 6–2
UCLA Johnson def. UCSB Underwood, 7–6 (7-3), 6–2
UCLA Revelli def. UCSB Gavrea, 6–3, 7–5
Other matches unfinished
Second Round – May 3, 2025
#16 UCLA: 4, #11 CAL: 2
Doubles:
CAL Dean/Overbeck def. UCLA Hoogmartens/Revelli, 6–3
UCLA Johnson/Tripathi def. CAL Chang/Chen, 6–3
CAL Stepanov/Wright def. UCLA Ballotta/van Loben Sels, 6–4
Singles:
CAL Overbeck def. UCLA Quan, 5–7, 7–5, 6–3
UCLA Bigun def. CAL Dean, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 (7–4)
UCLA Hoogmartens def. CAL Stepanov, 7–6 (9–7), 1–6, 6–3
UCLA Johnson def. CAL Chen, 6–2, 6–3
UCLA Revelli def. CAL Bernardo Munk Mesa, 6–4, 7–6 (7–5)
UCLA van Loben Sels vs. CAL Chang — 5–5 in third (unfinished)
What’s Ahead?
With two strong performances, UCLA now advances to the NCAA Sweet 16, where they will compete in the super-regional round on May 9–10. The Bruins will look to carry their momentum into the next stage as they aim for a spot in the NCAA Championship finals.
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Featured Image Photographed by Nicolas Greamo/Daily Bruin
