Gloomy weather surrounded Senior Day.
But the Bruins still managed to light up the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
In its penultimate weekend and last home match of the regular season, No. 24 UCLA men’s tennis (14-6, 8-3 Big Ten) secured a decisive win over Northwestern (15-12, 3-9) on Sunday, earning the doubles point and winning its singles matches to earn a 4-0 victory.
The result flipped the script from Saturday’s loss to No. 14 Illinois despite UCLA facing similar lineup challenges due to injuries.
“I actually am very proud that we won the match, quite honestly, with as many guys out of our lineup,” coach Billy Martin said.
The Bruins, who were still without No. 52 junior Spencer Johnson due to an undisclosed injury, quickly captured the doubles point and set the tone early.
Redshirt junior Emon van Loben Sels and senior Gianluca Ballotta defeated Northwestern’s Cooper Han and Owen Megargee 6-2, while senior Aadarsh Tripathi and freshman Bengt Reinhard clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win against Greyson Casey and Chad Miller.
For van Loben Sels, his doubles victory carried an added meaning – competing alongside one of his closest teammates, who is set to graduate this year.
“It was really cool getting to play with my senior (Ballotta),” van Loben Sels said. “I came in January 2022 or 2023 – that was the same year he came in – and we were roommates freshman year, so I was actually pretty emotional today playing with him. I gave him a big hug after.”
Bruin seniors Will Steinberg, Tripathi and Ballotta were honored following doubles play, receiving commemorative frames after the coaching staff delivered personal speeches.
“I’ll smile a lot more with three singles wins,” Martin said while taking photos during the senior ceremony.
And the Bruins delivered – quickly.
UCLA carried its momentum into singles play, with every Bruin – excluding junior Andy Nguyen, whose match was cut short due to the retirement of Northwestern’s Ethan Schiffman – clinching the first set.
No. 24 Van Loben Sels earned a straight-set victory over Cyrus Mahjoob, 6-2, 6-2, after Nguyen was awarded the victory.
Redshirt freshman Cassius Chinlund clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-3 victory against Chad Miller. Chinlund – who was one of two Bruins to notch a singles win in Saturday’s match against the Fighting Illini – has won nine of his last 10 completed matches.
“The confidence really comes from my teammates, even more than me, and my coaches believing in me,” Chinlund said. “I feel like I’ve really risen to the occasion, helping my teammates. … (I’m) feeling good on the court mentally and feeling physically strong.”
UCLA will head on the road next weekend to face Oregon and Washington in its last weekend slate before the Big Ten tournament.
And although performances like Sunday’s highlight the team’s resilience, health remains a key factor moving forward.
“We have to be healthy,” van Loben Sels said. “If we’re not healthy, it’s going to be tough. But if we are, we can do a lot of damage. We have to be at full force by then (Big Ten tournament).”
For now, however, the focus remains on the seniors.
“They fight hard, they’ve had a great career here,” Chinlund said. “I’m proud of them, and they should be proud of themselves.”
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