Netters aim to shoot down Ducks without top players
By Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Contributor
They aren’t ranked in the top 25 in the country, but at least
the University of Oregon will provide the UCLA men’s tennis team
with someone to play as the two schools square off today at 1:30
p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The second-ranked Bruins (5-0) have only played one dual match
in nearly three weeks due to poor weather and a gap in scheduling.
After last week’s dismantling of then seventh-ranked Pepperdine,
UCLA will be looking to avoid a letdown as it battles the 7-3
Ducks.
"I don’t expect this to be nearly as tough a team as Pepperdine
and there will probably be a little bit of a letdown," UCLA head
coach Billy Martin said. "We won’t let our guard down that much,
but I don’t expect us to be as sky-high as we were."
Oregon is led by Hans Forsberg and Dougal Williams, who have
been sharing time between the number one and two positions. They
have a 12-10 combined record and will be looking to bolster their
records with the absence of UCLA’s No.1 and 2 players, Justin
Gimelstob and Srdjan Muskatirovic.
Gimelstob qualified to compete in the San Jose Open this week
and Muskatirovic will be held out to give Eric Taino and Matt Breen
a chance to step into the No. 1 and 2 positions, respectively.
Taino, who has been on a tear since the beginning of the season,
going undefeated without dropping a set, will get his first chance
of the year to test his mettle at the top spot.
"I’d like to give Eric Taino a chance to play one and it will
give a few other guys a chance to play singles, so I’m hoping that
they’ll be excited about playing," Martin said.
The absence of Gimelstob and Muskatirovic will also allow junior
Eric Lin and freshman Vincent Allegre to get their first singles
action of the year. Allegre, who came to UCLA from France in the
fall, sat out much of the fall season nursing tendonitis in his
right arm, a result of overwork.
"I’m very excited about playing tomorrow," Allegre said. "I went
a long time without playing, but I did what I have to do and now I
think I am ready."
UCLA’s Jason Thompson is another of the players ready for the
opportunity to measure themselves against tougher competition. For
Thompson, the scenario is a bit different, as he spent all of last
season holding down the No. 1 spot at the University of Kentucky
before transferring to UCLA.
"I just play as hard as I can every time – it doesn’t matter if
I’m playing one or six," Thompson said. "I try to think that I’m
going to play as well as I can."
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Matt Breen will play No. 2 singles today against the Oregon
Ducks.
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