The UCLA men’s tennis team announced on Apr. 1 that it will host top-ranked Ohio State and Penn State at the Los Angeles Tennis Center this week. The Bruins, currently ranked No. 22, are set to face Ohio State on Friday, April 3 at 4 p.m., followed by a match against Penn State on Saturday, April 4 at 3 p.m.
These matches mark significant events for the Bruins as they return home after splitting their recent road trip in Michigan. The upcoming contest with Ohio State is a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Tournament final, where UCLA secured a narrow victory over the Buckeyes and ended their opponent’s long-standing home winning streak.
Fans attending Friday’s match can expect free cookies for the first 100 spectators after doubles play. Those unable to attend in person can follow live scoring and streaming through UCLA’s official website or receive updates via the team’s X account.
In recent competition, Emon van Loben Sels was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week following an undefeated week in both singles and doubles matches. He notably defeated highly ranked opponents from Michigan State and contributed crucial wins alongside Spencer Johnson in doubles play. Johnson also recently reached his milestone of 100 career wins across singles and doubles competitions.
The Bruins’ roster features several returning standouts including van Loben Sels, Johnson, Aadarsh Tripathi, Rudy Quan, and Gianluca Ballotta—all key contributors from last season’s Big Ten championship campaign. New additions Cassius Chinlund, Andy Nguyen, Bengt Reinhard, and Will Steinberg bring further depth to the team for this season.
Looking ahead, head coach Billy Martin continues his tenure into a record-setting 33rd year leading UCLA men’s tennis with an impressive career record of 688-179 as head coach. Under Martin’s leadership, the program has achieved multiple NCAA titles and conference championships.
