How UCLA snapped Ohio State's 22-year streak with incredible Big Ten men's tennis title win: Here's what happened

The UCLA men's tennis team prevailed with the narrowest of margins to beat their rivals from the Ohio State University 4-3 in the final of the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, April 27. The defeat brought an end to one of the most impressive streaks in the history of college tennis.

Prior to Sunday's final, the Ohio State University hadn't lost to another Big Ten opponent in their own backyard for over two decades, putting together a 128-match winning streak in the process. The UCLA Bruins' victory snapped this brilliant streak.

Ohio State University had won the last two Big Ten Tournaments and were contesting their 21st consecutive final. Bryce Nakashima, the younger brother of tennis pro Brandon Nakashima, gave his team the upper hand by beating UCLA's Spencer Johnson 6-2, 6-4.

Aidan Kim further solidified Ohio State's lead with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Rudy Quan. UCLA got back on track thanks to Preston Stearns, who's the younger brother of WTA star Peyton Stearns. He defeated Aadarsh Tripathi 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to give his team a fighting chance.

Alexander Hoogmartens came through for UCLA as well with a 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 win over Jack Anthrop. In the end, it all came down to the match between Emon van Loben Sels and Alexander Bernard.

The contest had plenty of twists and turns, with both players having plenty of chances to seal the deal for their respective teams. Eventually, it was van Loben Sels who edged out his opponent from Ohio State 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3 to clinch the title for UCLA.

UCLA receive an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament thanks to their Big Ten victory

Kaylan Bigun of the UCLA Bruins at Wimbledon 2024. (Photo: Getty)

The UCLA Bruins will have a few days off to bask in the glow of their triumph. By virtue of winning the Big Ten Tournament, they have received a direct entry to the NCAA tournament, which will get underway from May 3.

UCLA will aim to regain their past glory with another NCAA title. They have won 16 titles in the past, though their most recent title came way back in 2005. They trail their fellow California rivals University of Southern California and Stanford University, who have won 21 and 17 titles respectively.

The field for the upcoming NCAA tournament will be revealed on Monday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m. ET. TCU are the defending champions in the men's division and won their maiden title last year.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit