Thursday, 4/10/97
Consistently Kim
Star rookie is no freshman to winning although college play
required adjusting
By Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
When Kevin Kim arrived at UCLA earlier this season, it was easy
to forget that he was just an 18-year-old freshman. Here was a kid
who had done it all in the ranks of junior tennis, and after being
recruited by every tennis powerhouse in the nation, was ready to
wreak havoc on the college ranks.
The UCLA men’s tennis team had corralled the second coming of
Justin Gimelstob, the kind of player with the talent and experience
to make short work of college competition en route to the
professional tour.
"I knew (Kim) was going to be lifesaving for us," UCLA head
coach Billy Martin said. "For us to be competitive for the national
championship this year, we had to keep (No. 1 singles player) Eric
Taino and get Kevin."
The pedigree to back up such lofty talk was certainly there.
Trips to Europe for the Junior French Open and Junior Wimbledon.
Doubles titles in Canada and Paraguay. You want more. How about
winning the 1996 United States Tennis Association (UTSA) National
Singles Championship?
Throw in a first round main draw battle with David Wheaton on
the Grandstand Court at the 1996 U.S. Open, and you’ve got a player
who has already shown his mettle.
With this resume, college would be a little more than a time for
Kim to add to his curriculum vitae en route to the tour, right?
Not exactly.
Sure, Kim will turn pro after another year or two of college
tennis, but he has earned a few more battle scars along the way,
especially in the early days of his freshman season.
College tennis was a whole new experience for this rookie.
Instead of facing the same players over and over, as he had in
junior tournaments, Kim was pitted against players he had never
heard of or seen, many of whom were seasoned veterans of collegiate
tennis. In a less-than-glorious start, Kim stumbled out to a 2-2
start in dual matches.
"It was tough, I had to adjust," Kim said. "In juniors I knew
every junior that I played. I didn’t know what to expect in college
and who was good."
The important thing is that he has scars, not open wounds, for
those early struggles have become a far-off memory, with only the
scars as a reminder. For now, Kim has become a lethal force at No.
3 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Bruins.
"You see that happen to freshmen their first time in the
pressure cooker," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "I knew that
he would get better and get used to the whole thing."
Added to the mix was the pressure of not only having to win a
match for personal satisfaction, but having to win for a team. This
season, Kim has twice found himself locked in battle with the
outcome of the dual match riding on his result.
When these two occasions are juxtaposed, the metamorphosis in
Kim’s game this season is laid plain.
It was mid-January and the Bruins’ second match of the year. Kim
was serving to close out his singles match which would clinch a
victory over Boise State. At this pivotal juncture Kim faltered and
eventually lost, as did his team, its only loss of the season.
"Boise State, it was my second match and I was playing a
senior," Kim said. "Some things went his way and maybe I froze up a
little."
Shift now to late February, where the National Indoor
Championship has come down to Kim’s match against Steven Baldas of
Georgia. This time, Kim did no such disappearing act, rebounding
from a pasting the day before to clinch the match and the
championship for the Bruins in a third-set tiebreaker.
"It was very important for me because I wasn’t playing well and
my confidence was low," Kim said. "That match gave me a lot of
confidence. It was one of the best experiences that I’ve had."
Now, Kim has emerged as a rock for the Bruins. Since that
seminal triumph in Louisville, Kim has not lost, tearing off eight
straight victories.
At the same time that he has found this new consistency, Kim has
also discovered the level of intensity that, when it grips him,
turns him into one scary player. Bear witness to this past weekend
against Stanford, and mute testimony is paid.
Pitted against Stanford freshman Mike Bryan, a longtime rival in
juniors, Kim was not only overtly animated, yelling at his opponent
across the net and gesticulating madly after winners, he also
managed to play some serious tennis en route to a 6-4, 6-4
victory.
Bear in mind that, off the court, Kim is one of the more
soft-spoken players on the team, so displays like this do not come
often.
"It comes out with whoever the opponent is," Kim said.
"Especially against Stanford. I knew (Bryan) and he brings out that
other side because I just don’t want to lose."
There is more to this equation than simply wins and losses, for
Kim has also been able to step directly into the third position in
the lineup and solidify that spot in the middle of the lineup. In a
season where the Bruin lineup has been juggled like knives, Kim has
been a rock at No. 3, shifting from that spot only twice all
season.
It is not often that a freshman is able to maintain a consistent
a level of excellence that reserves his position all season. The
only other Bruin that has provided such stability is Taino. "That’s
the great feeling of getting a top junior," Martin said. "That’s
why he’s so key."JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Despite a shaky start this season, Kevin Kim’s solid play and
intensity enabled the
freshman to win eight consecutive matches.