Letdowns have been known to follow emotional wins in the world
of sports.
Following an emphatic 6-1 win over USC last Friday, the No. 1
UCLA men’s tennis team (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) will look to avoid a
letdown today when it faces the University of San Diego Toreros at
the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
And the team will have to do it without its No. 2 player, Marcin
Matkowski, who is in his native Poland for the week preparing for
the Davis Cup.
“We’re not nearly as strong a team (without
Marcin),” head coach Billy Martin said. “Luckily we
have great depth.”
Some of that depth will be on display today, as Alberto Francis
will get a chance to contribute in singles.
“I think Alberto will certainly play. He’s got a lot
of experience and has already played some matches for us this
year,” Martin said.
In doubles, Martin will select either Chris Lam or Chris Surapol
to fill the void left by Matkowski’s absence.
“It’s not an easy decision for me,” he said.
“Both players can do the job.”
Though the Bruins don’t expect a great challenge from the
Toreros, Martin realizes the importance of staying focused and
remains confident in his squad’s ability to do just that.
“The experience of having these guys who have been through
this before is important,” he said. “They know that we
can’t get caught off-guard by anybody.”
That includes USD, who the Bruins have owned in the past. Their
all-time record against the Toreros is 19-0.
Today’s expected singles starting lineup has Tobias
Clemens at No. 1, Rodrigo Grilli at No. 2, Erfan Djahangiri at No.
3, Chris Lam at No. 4, Lassi Ketola at No. 5 and Francis at No.
6.
Clemens will be looking to rebound from his only loss of the
season, which came last Friday to USC’s Prakash Amritraj,
6-4, 6-2.