University of Oregon
UCLA
Ducks Drop Thriller at No. 10 UCLA
04/01/17 | Men's Tennis
NO. 23 OREGON TOOK NO. 10 UCLA DOWN TO THE WIRE ON SATURDAY BEFORE FALLING IN A NARROW 4-3 DECISION
LOS ANGELES - The 23rd-ranked Oregon men's tennis team took No. 10 UCLA down to the wire before the Bruins pulled out a narrow 4-3 win on Saturday at at Sunset Canyon Tennis Courts.
How it Happened: The Ducks (14-4, 0-2 Pac-12) were forced to fight back from an early deficit after dropping the doubles point for the second time in as many days. The Bruins (13-4, 2-0 Pac-12) claimed wins on the top two courts to clinch the point and take an early 1-0 lead.
In singles, UCLA extended its lead to 2-0 as the Bruins' Austin Rapp edged junior Cormac Clissold on No. 5, 6-1, 6-3. 39th-ranked Martin Redlicki (UCLA) put the Bruins within a point of clinching the match, 3-0, with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over junior Simon Stevens on the second court.
The Ducks then began to mount a furious comeback. Junior Akihiro Tanaka continued to play well for the Ducks, earning a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 win on No. 3 over Evan Zhu (UCLA) to put Oregon on the board. Freshman Ty Gentry pulled UO within a point, 3-2, on No. 6 with a gritty performance, edging out UCLA's Maxime Cressy, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Perhaps the match of the day came on the top court, where the Ducks' Thomas Laurent, ranked 40th in the nation, faced off against No. 11 Gage Brymer (UCLA). Laurent, who has been tremendous in singles all season, edged Brymer, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-1, to tie the match at 3-3.
The deciding point came down to No. 4, where senior Jayson Amos took on UCLA's Logan Staggs. After dropping the first set, 7-6 (3), Amos mounted a comeback with a thrilling 7-6 (5) win in the second. With the match on the line, Staggs was able to edge Amos, 6-4, to secure the victory for the Bruins.
What it Means: The Ducks start Pac-12 play 0-2, but put together gritty performances against a pair of top-10 teams in No. 5 USC and No. 10 UCLA and proved that they have the talent and the depth to play with the top talent in the nation. Oregon is now lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season.
Big Win for Laurent: With the upset of the 11th-ranked player in the country, Laurent continues to build on a spectacular sophomore campaign. Laurent is now 15-1 this dual-match season, all at the No. 1 spot, and is 25-3 overall in 2016-17. He is also 5-2 this season against ranked opponents. Laurent put together another strong weekend, picking up the win over No. 11 Brymer and taking No. 21 Brandon Holt (USC) to a third set yesterday (unfinished). for his career, Laurent is 44-9 in singles, 34-7 in dual matches and 19-1 at the No. 1 singles spot.
Notable: Amos remains at 90 career singles wins and needs just one to become the all-time leader in Oregon history … Tanaka improved to 12-3 in dual matches this season … Gentry is now 10-8 this season and 5-3 in dual matches … UCLA improved to 25-0 all-time against the Ducks.
Up Next: The Ducks continue Pac-12 play next weekend at Utah (April 7) and Arizona (April 9).
FULL RESULTS
Doubles
1. #15 Redlicki/Zhu (UCLA) def. Armando Soemarno/Amos (UO) 6-4
2. Brymer/A. Rapp (UCLA) def. Laurent/Clissold (UO) 6-3
3. Ben Goldberg/Cressy (UCLA) vs. Stevens/Tanaka (UO) 5-4, unfinished
Singles
1. #40 Thomas Laurent (UO) def. #11 Gage Brymer (UCLA) 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1
2. #39 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. Simon Stevens (UO) 6-1, 7-5
3. Akihiro Tanaka (UO) def. Evan Zhu (UCLA) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
4. Logan Staggs (UCLA) def. Jayson Amos (UO) 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-4
5. Austin Rapp (UCLA) def. Cormac Clissold (UO) 6-1, 6-3
6. Ty Gentry (UO) def. Maxime Cressy (UCLA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,2,3,6,1,4)
Players Mentioned
