Confirm the reservations, call the front desk, alert the media
““ the Bruins are headed to Oklahoma.
The UCLA men’s tennis team reserved a spot in the NCAA
Tournament’s Round of 16 in Tulsa, Okla. with two dominating
wins over the weekend.
Weeks of anxiety and excitement were finally put to good use, as
fourth-seeded UCLA got things started exactly the way they were
expected to. The Bruins defeated Oral Roberts 4-0 on Saturday and
followed that up with a 4-0 win over Pepperdine on Sunday in the
NCAA regionals.
“This is what we’ve been shooting for,” coach
Billy Martin said. “Now we get a chance to go and put it all
on the line.”
Though Saturday’s match was a bit of a laugher, Pepperdine
posed a stiffer challenge to a Bruin squad that hadn’t played
a dual match for just under a month.
The Waves came out incredibly fired up in doubles, jumping out
to leads on all three doubles courts. But UCLA (20-5), who appeared
tentative from the outset, battled back from a break down for
impressive wins at No. 2 and No. 3.
Luben Pampoulov and Philipp Gruendler maintained their perfect
doubles record with an 8-5 win on Court 2, while Tobias Clemens and
Chris Surapol clinched the doubles point with another 8-5 victory
at No. 3.
“It was a tough match, especially in the doubles,”
Gruendler said. “It was really hard.”
With any possible momentum the Waves may have had destroyed by
the heartbreaking defeats in doubles, UCLA cruised to three
victories in singles to take the team victory.
Gruendler posted a 6-3, 6-0 win over Richard Johnson at No. 6,
Kris Kwinta defeated Alexis Rafidison 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5, and Chris
Lam finished things off for the Bruins with a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory
over Alexandre Herrera on Court 3.
“We’re expected to make it to Tulsa, but you still
have to win,” Lam said. “Once you get through it, it
feels really good to put it behind you and move on to the Round of
16.”
Clemens, however, was slightly disappointed about what he will
be leaving behind. The Bruin senior’s illustrious home career
ended Sunday when his match against Pedro Rico was suspended before
the beginning of the third set.
“On the one hand I’m happy that the team was
performing so well,” Clemens said. “On the other hand,
I’m disappointed with my second set because I didn’t
close out the match.”
The seventh-ranked Clemens has had a difficult time closing out
matches this season, but Martin is little concerned.
“I just know he’s looking up (at the scoreboard) and
losing concentration, because he knew we were going to win the
match,” Martin said. “He’s at his best when he
really feels that he has to win, when he’s pushed against the
wall.”
The fact remains that the walls of the Los Angeles Tennis Center
are now only a memory for Clemens.
“I’m never going to play again on that court,”
Clemens said. “It’s been kind of like my living
room.
“I’m a little sad, but excited that we move on to
the next round, and excited about our chances.”
Martin is equally excited about his squad’s chances, but
he realizes that the Bruins will need to play better to beat Texas
A&M (24-8) in the round of 16. The Aggies advanced with a win
over 13th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth.
One thing that must change, the coach says, is the cautiousness
that plagued the Bruins at times on Sunday.
“We were tentative today, but we were strong-minded and we
got through it,” Martin said.
“We’ve got to be ready, and know that we’re
going to have to play better tennis to get by them next
Saturday.”
But at the end of the day, UCLA achieved what it set out to do
““Â make it to Tulsa to at least have the opportunity to
do something special.
“It’s just really exciting for any NCAA athlete to
go to their national championship,” Martin said. “I
truly feel that we have a chance. We want to battle and see where
we stand.”