Junior Mackie McDonald and sophomore Martin Redlicki won the doubles championship at the Costa Mesa Pro Classic on Saturday.
McDonald and Redlicki reached the doubles final last year as well, but fell in a third-set tiebreaker. This year, they reversed their fortunes, defeating Jean-Yves Aubone and Benjamin Lock 10-5 in a third-set tiebreaker to take the title.
“Coming into the breaker we told ourselves to stay solid, make returns, make the other guys play as much as possible and not give them any loose points,” Redlicki told UCLA Athletics. “That’s what we did and it worked for us.”
The duo, which played No. 1 doubles for the Bruins last spring and will likely do the same this year, was the only UCLA pair ranked in September’s preseason Oracle/ITA rankings, coming in at No. 6.
“It always feels great to win a tournament, especially with a teammate that you’ll most likely be playing with this year,” Redlicki said, per UCLA Athletics. “It’s a huge confidence booster for us just knowing that we can compete at high levels.”
Lock, a Florida State redshirt senior, is a part of the No. 7 tandem in the country along with teammate Marco Nunez.
McDonald, UCLA’s top singles player, was ranked No. 3 in the preseason rankings, with Redlicki at No. 57. No other Bruins were ranked.
Compiled by Matt Cummings, Bruin Sports senior staff.
