In collegiate tennis, every singles match counts for one point.
But there’s one match that carries a bit more prestige, a
greater challenge and more pressure than the rest. And that’s
what Benjamin Kohlloeffel has been having to deal with at the No. 1
position for the UCLA men’s tennis team. Though there’s
never an easy match at the No. 1 spot, Kohlloeffel has amassed a
sparkling 35-5 record at the position so far this season.
“He’s been doing such a great job for us,” coach
Billy Martin said. “It’s just hard. It’s like
someone coming at you with a machine gun every day.” Not
every team is very strong from the top to the bottom of its lineup,
but almost all of them have a decent player at No. 1. Last
Saturday’s match was a perfect example, as the Bruins rolled
to a 6-1 victory over Oregon while eighth-ranked Kohlloeffel
suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss to No. 22 Sven Swinnen. “Ben looked
really fatigued out there, mentally as much as anything,”
Martin said. Kohlloeffel’s loss to Swinnen came a day after
he played one of his best matches of the season, defeating
Washington’s Alex Vlaski, ranked No. 31, 6-1, 6-1.
There’s never been a day off at the No. 1 slot for
Kohlloeffel, who had won six matches in a row prior to the Oregon
match. After Saturday’s loss, he explained why it’s
sometimes difficult to play at No. 1, especially when the team is
doing so well. “(Swinnen) is a pretty good player, and
it’s kind of a little bit annoying when you look up at the
scoreboard and everybody is winning 6-0, 6-1, and you’re at
4-2 or 4-3,” Kohlloeffel said. It’s difficult to remain
mentally focused when one’s match doesn’t affect the
team result, and at No. 1, that usually results in a loss. But
fortunately for Martin and the Bruins, Kohlloeffel’s losses
have been few and far between. Matches like his performance against
Vlaski have been far more commonplace than his few losses.
“He was superb (against Vlaski),” Martin said.
“It was just a great, great win for us there.” The win
was clearly satisfying for Kohlloeffel as well. “I
didn’t play really, really great tennis,” he said.
“I just didn’t miss. It was a good match for me.”
BACK AT FULL STRENGTH: Perhaps the best thing that has happened to
the Bruins lately is the return to health of Luben Pampoulov.
Pampoulov, ranked No. 7 in the country, had been bothered by a
pinched nerve in his neck since February. After sitting out for
several weeks and missing three dual matches, Pampoulov returned to
the lineup March 25 against Arizona and hasn’t lost a set
since his return. And most importantly, he’s pain-free.
“It doesn’t really hurt where I was injured,”
Pampoulov said. “I get stiff in my muscles because I
didn’t play for so long, but it’s getting
better.” Since returning, Pampoulov has been playing at No. 2
singles and No. 3 doubles, but Martin said he would feel
comfortable switching Pampoulov and Kohlloeffel between the top
positions in any match.
LOOKING AHEAD: No. 6 UCLA (19-2, 4-0 Pac-10) sits atop the
Pac-10 standings with three regular season matches remaining. With
two wins this weekend, the Bruins would clinch at least a share of
the conference title. UCLA’s final match of the season is
April 15 against USC at home.