The UCLA men’s tennis team is set to begin its Big Ten Conference schedule this week with away matches against Indiana and Purdue. The Bruins, currently holding a 6-2 record, will first face the No. 46-ranked Indiana Hoosiers (6-3) on Friday at the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington, with play starting at 3 p.m. Pacific Time. After a rest day, they travel to West Lafayette for an early Sunday match against Purdue (4-5), scheduled for 8 a.m. Pacific Time at Schwartz Tennis Center.
Both matches will feature live video streams and scoring updates provided by the host schools. Fans can access live coverage for Indiana at https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/2018/2/22/tennis-playsight and for Purdue at https://web.playsight.com/facility/purdue-university-tennis/home, with real-time scores available via StatBroadcast.
Historically, UCLA has had success against both opponents, leading the series versus Indiana 2-0 and Purdue 1-0. In their most recent meetings during March 2025, UCLA secured decisive 7-0 victories over both teams.
In their last outing on February 26, the Bruins defeated No. 9 San Diego in a closely contested match that ended 4-3 in favor of UCLA. Rudy Quan clinched the final point without needing a tiebreaker, while Emon van Loben Sels and Spencer Johnson also contributed singles wins. The doubles teams performed strongly as well.
UCLA is currently ranked No. 26 nationally as of March 3. In individual rankings released the same day, Emon van Loben Sels holds No. 35 in singles and partners with Spencer Johnson for No. 35 in doubles; Johnson is also ranked No. 57 in singles; Rudy Quan sits at No. 104 in singles and pairs with Aadarsh Tripathi for a No. 40 doubles ranking.
Emon van Loben Sels has built a reputation for excelling under pressure in deciding matches, having secured seven clinching victories throughout his career—more than any other current Bruin.
Three players are approaching significant career milestones: Spencer Johnson has recorded 99 total wins across singles and doubles play; van Loben Sels has reached 98; and senior Aadarsh Tripathi stands at 85 combined victories.
Recent honors include Rudy Quan being named Men’s Tennis Player to Watch in the Big Ten on January 9 and Spencer Johnson earning Big Ten Player of the Week recognition on October 22, 2025.
The Bruins’ fall season saw four players qualify for NCAA Championship individual draws: Johnson and Quan competed in singles while two pairs represented UCLA in doubles events following strong showings at ITA regional tournaments.
During the previous season (2024-25), UCLA finished with a record of 19-9 overall and went deep into postseason play by winning its first Big Ten Tournament championship—ending Ohio State’s long home win streak—and advancing to its inaugural NCAA Championship quarterfinal appearance after defeating USC.
Returning contributors include All-Americans Spencer Johnson and Aadarsh Tripathi alongside standout sophomore Rudy Quan and key doubles player Gianluca Ballotta.
New additions to the roster are Cassius Chinlund (making his dual-match debut), Andy Nguyen (a transfer from UC Irvine where he earned all-conference honors), and freshman Bengt Reinhard from Germany who achieved national junior titles before joining UCLA.
Several former Bruins continue competing professionally: Marcos Giron is currently ranked No.69 on the ATP tour after winning his first title in Newport; Mackenzie McDonald reached his highest ATP ranking of No.37 following major wins including over Rafael Nadal; Jean-Julien Rojer won his fourth Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros; Maxime Cressy claimed an ATP Tour championship but stepped away from competition due to injury.
Head coach Billy Martin enters his thirty-third year leading UCLA men’s tennis—a tenure marked by consistent success including one NCAA team title, multiple conference championships, three NCAA singles champions under his leadership, and several successful alumni now active on professional tours.
