This post was updated May 8 at 9:48 p.m.
Men’s tennis
Badri Viswanathan, Daily Bruin contributor
The Trojans dealt the Bruins their fifth loss in six matches, 4-3 Feb. 22 in Westwood.
In the rematch at David X. Marks Tennis Stadium on April 1, USC won 4-3 again, snapping UCLA’s then-season-long six-match win streak.
And Friday, the Bruins get a third chance at defeating their crosstown rivals. Only this time, it’ll be for a spot in the national tournament’s quarterfinals – at which UCLA hasn’t been since 2018.
After playing the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Berkeley, UCLA men’s tennis (18-8, 11-2 Big Ten) returns to the Los Angeles Tennis Center for its final home match of 2025, facing USC (16-10, 8-5) on Friday in the super regional round.
The Bruins are arguably stronger heading into Friday than they were for their previous two crosstown affairs. The newly minted Big Ten tournament champion Bruins are riding a 10-match win streak, most recently defeating No. 11 seed California 4-2 in the NCAA tournament’s second round Saturday.
“Just exuberant, so happy for these guys,” said coach Billy Martin. “They’ve really persevered. … Since beginning the season 2-6, and now we’re 18-8. So it tells you a lot about this team.”
UCLA was without All-American, No. 35 sophomore Spencer Johnson for both its Feb. 22 and April 1 affairs. But since returning from injury, Johnson is 7-0 in doubles, alongside junior Aadarsh Tripathi, and 4-1 in singles.
“So much of that is contributed to Spencer Johnson being back in our lineup,” Martin said. “There’s no doubt about it. We struggled and won a lot of matches without him, but with him, I know everybody feels we’re a team to be reckoned with.”
On the other side lie the Trojans. After Michigan State eliminated them in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals 4-2, USC has rebounded with wins over Arizona State and No. 6 seed San Diego in the first and second rounds of the national tournament.
“We’ve got to prepare ourselves mentally, physically, spiritually,” said senior Giacomo Revelli, who has gone undefeated in singles play this postseason. “This next match will be very testing.”
Martin had one message to his group ahead of its April matchup against the Trojans, but it might ring truer this week.
“We’d like some revenge.”
Women’s tennis
Willa Campion, Daily Bruin contributor
The maroon courts of the Mitchell Tennis Center are uncharted territory. Despite facing off against the Aggies four times in the past 20 years, the Bruins have never found themselves in College Station, Texas.
But it’s where UCLA women’s tennis (18-8, 10-3 Big Ten) will venture Friday to face hosts and No. 2 seed Texas A&M (27-3, 14-1 SEC) in the NCAA tournament super regionals.
”We have absolutely nothing to lose going to College Station and playing the defending national champs,” said No. 93 senior Kimmi Hance. “We just have to go out there and play free.”
Besting the reigning national champions will be a tall task – the Aggies have lost to just two teams all season.
Two of their three losses came courtesy of Georgia – which has held the No. 1 spot in 13 of 15 iterations of the ITA’s national rankings and is the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
However, Texas A&M’s third loss came 5-2 to then-No. 14 Vanderbilt, the team UCLA upset Saturday for a spot in the super regionals.
Still, the No. 2 Aggies remain the Bruins’ toughest opponent thus far, beating out then-No. 3 Michigan, which defeated UCLA in the Big Ten tournament semifinals April 25.
“We’ve never played them (the Aggies), so I don’t know many of their players,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “I’ve got to do some research and homework on them to prepare.”
At the top of the Aggies’ roster is No. 1 Mary Stoiana, 2024’s ITA Player of the Year. Along with having the top player in the nation, Texas A&M also boasts four other ranked singles players – depth that has helped the squad sweep 15 of 30 opponents of the season.
Doubles appear to be where the Bruins hold an edge over the Aggies. No. 14 seniors Hance and Elise Wagle, alongside No. 11 freshmen Olivia Center and Kate Fakih, have paved the way for UCLA to be the only team in the nation with two doubles tandems in the top 15.
On the other hand, Texas A&M graces the rankings only once with Stoiana and Lucianna Perez sitting at 25 and the Aggies have dropped the doubles point seven times this season.
But the doubles point is only a quarter of the way to victory, and the Bruins will have to come out with at least three singles wins to end the Aggies’ hopes of back-to-back national titles.
UCLA isn’t shying away from the challenge, though.
“If I were them, I’d be scared,” Hance said.
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