The title defense has gone smoothly, at least after the first
match.
The UCLA men’s tennis team passed its first test on Friday
when they beat the University of San Diego 5-2.
The Bruins won the doubles point and four of the single
matches.
It wasn’t the result of the match that surprised coach
Billy Martin, but it was rather the play of his two returners,
Philipp Gruendler and Benjamin Kohlloeffel, who lost their singles
matches.
“We did not play our best but it was a first good
meet,” said Martin. “The team is fairly young and it is
good to give new players a chance to play.”
San Diego put up a good fight with strong serves but lacked
individual strength, claiming only two of the six matches. The
highlight of the match for the Toreros came when Pierrick Ysern
defeated Kohlloeffel in a tie-break battle between No. 1
singles.
“I was not surprised to see USD play the way they did. I
have known Coach Hagedorn for a long time and Ysern showed us today
how he reached the national individual final last year.”
“ said Martin.
With four of the six starters gone from last year’s
national championship team, Martin was able to test his new
starting line-up and see how his players would respond to their new
roles.
“It was great to play today as I did not play a lot last
year,” said sophomore Jeremy Drean, who won his match in
straight sets 6-2, 6-4. “Practice has gone well recently and
it is good to be on the line-up for the first meet of the
season.”
The afternoon started with the doubles matches. No. 1 seeded and
the only returning pair of doubles, Kohlloeffel and Gruendler, got
off to a slow start making a lot of direct errors which turned into
a 3-0 USD lead. The German pair quickly got back on track and won
8-6.
“It is normal to be a bit nervous at the beginning of the
season,” said Martin. “But they have been playing
together for a while and managed to come back.”
Third-seeded Mathieu Dehaine and Aaron Yovan got off to a quick
start, leading their match 5-0. However, San Diego fought back and
won the match 9-8.
“They are not used to playing together yet, but I am happy
with what I saw today,” said Martin.
One pair that found its mark in record time to claim the doubles
point consists of new recruits Haythem Abid and Chris Surapol.
Although they have only been merely practicing together for days,
the players found a way to balance their play and complimenting
each other’s game.
“Their personalities match well which echoes in the
doubles game,” explained Martin.
The Tunisian player, Abid, arrived at UCLA merely two weeks ago,
but he says to have already found his niche in the team and is glad
to be playing here.
“The team has taken me in very quickly. I feel very
comfortable here,” Abid said.
His transition, however, is not surprising. Abid is the No. 1
ranked player in Tunisia and has been a member of his national
Davis Cup team for five years. Although he has not played
competitively in the past seven months, Abid made a remarkable
impression in the one set he played by winning 6-2, as opponent
Mirza Koristovic retired on injury.
“There is always a bit of pressure, but I feel great
playing here,” said Abid. “As a team, we can progress a
lot and I am looking forward to competing for UCLA.”
UCLA collected all but 2 of the singles points, both losses on a
tie-break. Fifth-seeded Surapol won his game 6-1, 6-4 and
UCLA’s No. 3 Dehaine was the last player on court winning his
match, 7-5, 6-3.
When the tennis team plays BYU Wednesday at home, Martin said
that the bottom rows of the line-up will probably be rotated as the
defending champions’ roster is still a work-in-progress.