Up-and-down Janecek down as m. tennis struggles
By Sarah Harrison
For the UCLA men’s tennis team, this past weekend saw some major
changes in the lineup, as the Bruins dropped matches at California
and Stanford.
Robert Janecek, senior team captain, has been struggling all
season. He started the season ranked at No. 2 in the nation, but
the right-hander has since found his rankings fluctuating wildly,
dropping as low as No. 75 in March.
His position in UCLA’s No. 1 singles spot, however, has remained
stable throughout the season. Even when Janecek was on a
seven-match losing streak he remained at the helm.
It appeared that Janecek had regained his confidence and would
be a reliable force to the Bruins when he finally broke his losing
streak by beating Pepperdine’s Charles Auffray. He went on to win
seven out of his next nine matches, beating high-ranking players,
including the No. 1-ranked player in the country, Arizona State’s
Sargis Sargsian.
However, something in Janecek’s game changed and, once again, he
started wavering, playing unpredictable tennis. On April 7, against
Stanford’s Jeff Salzenstein, Janecek’s loss started a downward
spiral. The next day, No. 16 Janecek lost easily, 6-4, 6-3, to No.
42 Michael Hill of California. Janecek beat No. 30 Fredrik Bergh of
Fresno State, but then lost to No. 4 Brett Hansen of USC for the
second time this year.
"I think the last couple of matches I just haven’t had any
fire," Janecek said. "I think my game is based on intensity, and I
just haven’t had any intensity. I just haven’t had the desire,
somehow I have lost it, and it has been my big problem. When things
go bad, I just get so angry that I almost give up. It is like I
don’t care if I lose."
This mentality was evident this weekend, as Janecek lost both of
his matches in two sets, in the No. 3 singles spot. UCLA head coach
Billy Martin acknowledges that individuals may have been struggling
this weekend because of lineup changes, but that can’t explain
Janecek’s losses.
"Some guys may have lost because they played higher and played
tougher players, but other guys played lower so it shouldn’t have
affected them," Martin said. "Janecek has no excuses for losing, in
my mind."
Janecek’s move downward allowed Eric Taino to return to the No.
2 position. Taino started the season in the No. 2 spot, but
struggled during the middle of the season, causing Martin to move
him down to No. 3.
Taino moved ahead of Janecek for the first time in team
position, and passed Janecek for the second time in the national
rankings. Taino took Janecek’s No. 16 place in the latest rankings,
moving up from No. 34, while Janecek dropped to No. 28.
If Taino is in the No. 2 and Janecek is in the No. 3, then who’s
No. 1? Enter Justin Gimelstob, a previously unranked freshman.
Gimelstob has been steadily moving up the ranks of UCLA’s team.
He started in the No. 3 position, winning seven out of his eight
games. When Taino caught the flu at the USTA/ITA tournament on Feb.
25, he was called upon to assume the No. 2 spot. Even though he
lost to Stanford’s Scott Humphries, he remained in that position
and won his next 3 matches.
Gimelstob’s luck changed, however, when he played USC’s Adam
Peterson. He not only lost the match, but sprained his wrist. As a
result, he returned to the No. 3 position for the next four
matches, all of which he won.
He moved back up to No. 2 on April 11, against Fresno State and
USC, where he got his revenge against Hansen in front of hostile
Trojan fans, winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
This weekend was his first time in the No. 1 spot, and it was in
no way a warm welcome as he lost both matches.
"(Against Hill of Cal on Friday), I let playing the No. 1
singles get in the way." Gimelstob said. "(Against Stanford’s
Salzenstein), I focused on playing and the guy just played a better
match."
Martin is not saying much about what the UCLA lineup could look
like in the coming weeks. The start of the Pac-10 tournament on
Thursday will likely have a bearing on a further lineup change.