When the Clemson men’s tennis team comes to Westwood today
to face UCLA, it’s quite possible that the minds of the
Bruins could be focused on something else entirely; namely, the
team’s date with USC on Friday.
And that’s a concern for coach Billy Martin.
“It’s definitely a worry from a coaching
standpoint,” Martin said. “We’ve talked about it.
I’ll be really curious to see how the guys are, if
they’re mature enough to (take Clemson seriously).
“We can’t overlook Clemson. They’re not a bad
team at all.”
The No. 26 Tigers (3-0) made the cross-country journey to
Southern California on Saturday and beat UC Irvine 4-3 on Sunday, a
team the No. 7 Bruins (2-0) dispatched 7-0 in their season
opener.
“I definitely think Clemson is a much better team than
Irvine,” Bruin junior Chris Lam said. “It will be a
competitive match against them.”
But it remains to be seen how Clemson will handle the depth and
talent of this Bruin team that has dropped only two sets in its two
matches this season.
Bruin senior and team leader Tobias Clemens is ranked No. 12 in
the country. Lam is ranked No. 18, while fellow juniors Kris Kwinta
and Alberto Francis are ranked No’s. 79 and 90,
respectively.
Clemson’s highest-ranked player is No. 31 Nathan Thompson,
and the Tigers don’t have anyone else in the top-100. But
that fact hasn’t deterred the Bruins from concentrating
solely on the task at hand.
“I haven’t even started thinking about
‘SC,” Francis said. “We’re pretty focused
on Clemson, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Francis has likely been the most pleasant surprise for the
Bruins in this young season.
After only contributing consistently in doubles last season,
Francis has established himself as a mainstay in the singles lineup
this year. He had a great tournament at the Sherwood Collegiate
Cup, posting a series of impressive victories before losing to
teammate Clemens in the semifinals.
Francis had surgery on his left wrist in June, and he’s
now completely healthy.
“I’ve been working pretty hard and I’m
enjoying playing tennis again,” he said.
Francis’ team will look to enjoy a victory today, in order
to prepare for Friday, and maybe serve some notice to the
Trojans.
But Martin doesn’t look at today as any kind of a
statement.
“USC knows us so well and we know them,” he said.
“The statement will be made Friday.”