The second-seeded UCLA men’s tennis team triumphed over host top seed Ohio State with a score of 4-3 on Sunday, marking the program’s first Big Ten championship win. By securing victories in three tournament matches at the Auer Tennis Complex and the Ty Tucker Tennis Center, the Bruins extended their winning streak to eight matches.
Emon van Loben Sels, named Most Outstanding Player, clinched the victory in a three-set battle that lasted three hours and 32 minutes, securing the decisive point. The entirety of his final set occurred after the other five singles matches were already concluded. Alexander Hoogmartens, a fellow All-Tournament Team member, contributed a vital three-set win that leveled the score at 3-3.
Additionally, Kaylan Bigun, who was undefeated in all three of his matches during the tournament, further propelled UCLA’s success. The Bruins took an early lead by claiming the doubles point, although the Buckeyes, with a regular-season record of 13-0 in Big Ten play, quickly responded with wins from Aidan Kim, Bryce Nakashima, and Preston Stearns.
With their victory, the Bruins ended Ohio State’s impressive 76-match home winning streak, which had been ongoing since 2021. The Buckeyes were competing in their 21st consecutive Big Ten tournament final, having previously defeated UCLA 4-0 on April 4. This was UCLA’s inaugural season in the conference.
UCLA has secured six of their last seven doubles points since welcoming Spencer Johnson back into the lineup. Johnson and Aadarsh Tripathi maintained a perfect record as a pair, defeating Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin 6-2 on Court 2. The team of van Loben Sels and Gianluca Ballotta also continued their strong performance, winning their fifth consecutive match and clinching the doubles point for the second consecutive day.
Nakashima defeated No. 32 Johnson 6-2, 6-4 on the fifth singles court, equalizing the score. Ohio State then took the lead through No. 12 Kim, who defeated No. 21 Quan 7-6(3), 6-2. However, Bigun quickly regained stability for UCLA, completing his match against Will Jansen 6-2, 7-5, and extending his winning streak to six.
The remaining matches reached third set tie-breakers as the competition intensified. Stearns pulled Ohio State ahead again by winning against No. 108 Tripathi 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Hoogmartens managed to shift the momentum back to UCLA with a crucial win over No. 101 Jack Anthrop, finishing 7-5, 0-6, 6-4. In the deciding match, van Loben Sels put his skills to the test, ultimately prevailing against No. 62 Bernard.
