This post was updated March 4 at 10:09 p.m.
Weekend getaways to the beach don’t usually culminate in championships.
That is, unless it’s the Bruins.
In a break from its dual-match campaign, UCLA men’s tennis participated in the 136th annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship tournament at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club from Friday to Sunday.

Bruin and Trojan spectators crowded around court six with the crosstown duel tied at three apiece.
And in the face of both fanbases, Gianluca Ballotta was the Bruins’ final hope.

The worst start in the Billy Martin era continues.
And the Bruins’ recent results have UCLA’s longest-active head coach searching for answers.
“In my 42 years, I don’t think I’ve lost three matches in a row, much less four matches in a row,” Martin, who’s been a coach in Westwood since 1984 and head honcho since 1994, said.

The Waves led by a point with just two singles courts left up for grabs at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
No. 63 redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels and junior Gianluca Ballotta needed to win their matches to erase their team’s two-match skid.

The Bruins commenced this season with a primary focus: winning a national championship.
But amid a slew of illnesses, they have yet to achieve the consistency they emphasized before the dual-match season.

It takes heart to win, but heart alone doesn’t guarantee a win.
“I don’t think anybody in the stadium could feel like the Bruins didn’t fight their hearts out,” said coach Billy Martin.

This post was updated Feb. 2 at 10:54 p.m.
Coach Billy Martin opted to insert a pair of upperclassmen into his lineup Saturday – each of whom made their 2025 debuts.