The following information was posted on the UCLA Bruins Athletic website. Congratulations to the four players and UCLA Coach Chen, and be sure to check back for updates and results from the event.
Four members of the UCLA men’s and women’s tennis teams have been selected to represent the USA at the upcoming Summer World University Games, the U.S. delegation and UCLA has announced.
Martin Redlicki and Logan Staggs will take part in the men’s competition, while Terri Fleming and Jada Hart will take on the women’s field. The group will be led by UCLA men’s associate head coach Grant Chen.
The World University Games, also known as the Universiade, are an international sports competition held every two years and hosted by different countries. The World University Games comprise a summer and winter games held in the same year, and is second only in importance to the Olympics. The 29th Summer World University Games will be held this summer in Chinese Taipei, Aug. 19-30, with over 120 countries competing in 22 sports.
Redlicki was recently honored by the Pac-12 for being part of its Doubles Team of the Year for the second consecutive season. The duo of Redlicki and Evan Zhu teamed to go 21-5 in 2016-17 and wrapped up its 17-3 dual-match mark in the NCAA Round of 16. In singles, the Boca Raton, Fla. native went 29-9, including 22-4 in dual matches. Redlicki was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team for the second time in as many years.
Staggs was a force for the Bruins on Courts 3 and 4 during his junior season, going 15-0. Overall, the Tracy, Calif. native posted a 21-4 record and capped an impressive 19-2 dual-match season with his 14th consecutive win. He also accumulated six clinching points and tallied three in four matches from March 16 through April 1. Staggs earned his first All-Pac-12 recognition when he was received Honorable Mention consideration Tuesday.
Fleming also had a breakout junior campaign, earning the Doubles Team of the Year award (with Hart) and an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection—both firsts for the Atlanta native. Fleming registered an 18-15 mark in singles play and, along with Hart, ran off seven consecutive doubles wins from March 4 through April 8. For the year, the pair posted a 13-3 record that included a 5-1 mark against nationally-ranked opponents.
After redshirting in 2015-16, Hart posted an 18-10 singles mark in her first season for UCLA. She was twice selected as Pac-12 Player of the Week (Jan. 30, April 10) and was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team. The Colton, Calif. native totaled a team-high 27 doubles wins, goings 27-8 with partners Fleming and Ena Shibahara.
Chen recently completed his second season as associate head coach under long-time UCLA head coach Billy Martin. Prior to his current role, Chen served as Martin’s top assistant for three years. The 2006 UCLA graduate also served for five seasons as the team’s Director of Operations. Additionally, Chen’s coaching history includes a pair of Southern California Regional Championships in 2007 and 2008 as head coach of the UCLA Club Tennis Team.
Tennis competition begins Monday, Aug. 21 at 9:30 a.m. local time with singles matches in the round of 64. Competition will continue daily through Monday, Aug. 28. All tennis events will be held at the newly-constructed Taipei Tennis Center, which features four indoor courts and 14 outdoor courts, including the 4,000-seat center court.
The four Bruin athletes will stay in the Athletes’ Village, participate in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and interact with over 5,000 student-athletes from around the world.
American fans hoping to watch the games live will have to manage the 15-hour time difference between the U.S. West Coast and Taipei. The opening ceremony will begin at 4 a.m. PT, Saturday, Aug. 19 with the closing ceremony taking place at 4:30 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Aug. 30. Both events will stream live at www.livefisu.tv. The streaming schedule for competition has not been released.
For more information about the 2017 Summer Universiade and a complete schedule of events, visit usateam.org.