This post was updated May 11 at 10:09 p.m.
The Trojans were hoping for a trip to Waco, Texas.
But under the roars of Bruin fans Friday, all they got was a one-way ticket back to the other side of town.
Facing off for the third time this season, UCLA men’s tennis (19-8, 11-2 Big Ten) finally flipped the script on crosstown rivals USC (16-11, 8-5) with a 4-2 victory in the NCAA super regionals at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Bruins dropped both regular-season matchups against the Trojans 4-3, but the playoff victory will send UCLA to May 16’s quarterfinals at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center while simultaneously ending USC’s season.
UCLA coach Billy Martin is in his 42nd year with the program and spent the 1975 season in Westwood as a player, but he said he hadn’t played a super regional match at the LATC until Friday.
The coach added that the round of 16 had been played at the tournament’s final site until 2019, when UCLA coincidentally faced Baylor in Waco, and the program hasn’t made it back since.
No. 35 sophomore Spencer Johnson delivered the match-clinching point on court five 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 over USC’s Volodymyr Iakubenko, sending UCLA to its first quarterfinals since 2018 and causing Johnson’s teammates to erupt in celebration as they rushed to surround him.
A midseason elbow injury forced Johnson to miss the two previous crosstown duels, but back nearing full strength, UCLA’s former top singles player delivered.
“Felt right,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t able to play in the last two, so I’m happy I got to play this one and clinch it for the team.”
Three was the Bruins’ magic number Friday. Not only was it UCLA’s third time facing USC this season, but every singles match went to three sets.
“That is unusual, especially for a big match,” Martin said. “But it just shows you how close these two teams are. And the two matches previously were unbelievably close.”
The Bruins led on the front courts, with each player taking the first set, while the back courts dropped theirs. Freshman Kaylan Bigun was the victor with the biggest margin in the first frame, winning 6-2 on court three. No. 110 redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels followed suit 6-4 on court two. And on court one, No. 20 freshman Rudy Quan edged out No. 16 Peter Makk 7-6(4).
Though both Bigun and van Loben Sels dropped their second sets, the former closed out Oscar Weightman 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, and van Loben Sels followed with a 6-5, 5-7, 6-3 finish over No. 88 Nathan Trouve.
On court four, senior Alexander Hoogmartens fell to Karl Lee 6-4 in the first before notching back-to-back 6-3 set wins to get the Bruins on the board.
“We all look forward to this game,” Hoogmartens said. “We felt before the match that we were going to win this one. But obviously, it’s always a hard match against USC.”
Junior Aadarsh Tripathi – playing in his first singles match since April 27 – was the only Bruin to drop his singles contest, falling to Trojan Connor Church 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, trimming UCLA’s lead to 3-2.
However, Martin said he heard that Tripathi cramped toward the end of his match.
Similar to its second-round affair against California, UCLA dropped the doubles point – despite Tripathi and Johnson winning their set. And as if tape rolled back, the Bruins once again recovered in singles.
“This was a very fun day – more so winning, but the atmosphere was great on both ends,” Martin said. “I’ll cherish this memory for a long time.”
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