It's all about team for Ben McLachlan.
 
The 25-year-old starred on the California men's tennis team from 2011-14, and now he plays on numerous new "teams" as he plays doubles on the professional tour with former Cal assistant Lan Bale and also his brother, fellow former Golden Bear Riki McLachlan, coaching him.
 
Ben McLachlan made big news in January when he paired with Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany to reach the Australian Open doubles in McLachlan's Grand Slam debut.
 
"The whole tournament was really fun," McLachlan said. "It was my first Grand Slam. Before the tournament I was thinking if I could get a first-round win, I would've been fine with that. But I ended up spending a lot of time there, which was awesome."
 
In early February, McLachlan partnered with France's Hugy Nys to reach the final of the Open Sud de France. More recently McLachlan and Nys partnered again to reach the quarterfinals in the New York Open in Uniondale, New York.
 
All of McLachlan's success has had a dramatic effect on his ATP doubles ranking. At the end of 2016, he was ranked 195, and he was ranked 73rd at the end of 2017. Also ranked 73rd on Jan. 15, McLachlan jumped all the way to No. 36 after reaching the Aussie Open semifinals. On Feb. 19 he earned a career-best ranking of No. 33.
 
"It's awesome because this time last year I wasn't ranked that high, and towards the end of last year I didn't think the Australian Open was going to be a possibility," McLachlan said. "Things have changed very quickly."
 
Things started to change last year for the Queenstown, New Zealand, native. McLachlan, who had previously represented New Zealand in international tournaments, decided to represent Japan to take advantage of the greater opportunities he'd have in the country of his mother's birth.
 
"The Japanese federation has been very supportive and helped me out in a lot of ways," McLachlan said. One of those ways is sending a Japanese coach to work with him before occasional tournaments.
 
A big opportunity he earned as a Japanese player was playing in the Davis Cup for the first time. Japan beat Brazil, 3-1, in McLachlan's debut last September, with McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama falling in doubles. In the World Group Playoff first round on Feb. 2, Japan lost to Italy, 3-1, with the McLachlan/Uchiyama pair again losing, to send Japan to the Davis Cup relegation playoffs next September.
 
Despite the setbacks, it was a great experience for McLachlan.
 
"That's going to help me a lot with my confidence and knowing that my game can match up with the best in the world," he said.
 
Additionally, the pairing with Uchiyama has bore fruit in other tournaments.
 
The two made history when they won the doubles crown at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in October. With Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako of Japan in attendance, McLachlan and Uchiyama defeated British player Jaime Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares, 6-4, 7-6(1), to become the first Japanese duo to claim the title in 12 years.
 
In November, McLachlan and Uchiyama defeated Indonesia's Christopher Rungkat and India's Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, 6-4, 6-3, 1-0(8) to claim the title at the Hyogo Noah Challenger in Kobe, Japan.
 
"Watching Ben's progress on the pro tour has been an absolute joy for all of us," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "He's committed himself to playing doubles, and the level he's risen to in the professional ranks is exciting. He's setting himself up for a solid career on the tour."
 
Wright coached McLachlan to plenty of success at Cal, as he claimed All-America singles honors and a spot on the All-Pac-12 First Team as a senior. He shared some of his earlier success at Cal with his brother, Riki, as the two captured the ITA Northwest Regional doubles title in 2012, when Ben also won the singles title at regionals. Ben paired with Carlos Cueto to win the regional doubles crown in 2011.
 
Becoming a pro player was a dream for McLachlan, who thought about eschewing college to join the pro ranks. But he realized that studying and playing tennis in the States made more sense, particularly with Riki relishing in his own time at Cal.
 
"I had a great time at college," McLachlan said. "I enjoyed playing team tennis and really enjoyed playing for Peter and Tyler (Browne). They're awesome guys and good coaches.
 
"After college I played singles for a year and a half or so but wasn't enjoying it. It was a big move I made to focus on playing doubles. I enjoyed the team aspect of it and the motivational side of playing and practicing doubles."
 
McLachlan personified what it meant to be a teammate at Cal.
 
"Ben's always been a team player," Wright said. "It's no surprise he's had success on the doubles court, where he's working alongside a partner. Being one of best doubles players in the world just speaks to the quality of work he's put in. He brings the team element to Davis Cup, and the Japanese are excited to have him on the Davis Cup team. I couldn't be happier for him."