Any questions about the attitude of this year’s UCLA
men’s tennis team can be answered simply by looking at
redshirt junior Chris Surapol’s on-court demeanor and his
ability to create an exciting atmosphere in which he thrives. With
his team trailing 3-2 during last Friday’s match against
Pepperdine, and the momentum in favor of Pepperdine’s Andre
Begemann, Surapol showed why he is the team’s inspirational
leader. After winning big points and hearing fans cheer for him,
the junior who sat out last year with an ankle injury showed them
appreciation by turning to them and entertaining them with fist
pumps, poses and loud screams. “When there were like a
hundred people getting pumped up as well, I felt like there’s
no way I could lose that match,” Surapol said. “And
there’s almost no way I could lose a point.” “The
crowd thought it was funny,” Surapol said. “I was just
having fun with them.” All this was happening in the third
set, when Surapol had a crucial call go against him, and when
several players would have folded. With three games apiece, Surapol
was down in his service game and on the verge of breaking. Begemann
rushed the net after hitting a solid shot to Surapol’s
forehand side. Little did the Pepperdine player know, he was
setting himself up against Surapol’s favorite stroke ““
a cross-court forehand passing shot. After Surapol ripped what
appeared to be a winner, Begemann called the ball out, claiming
that it was wide. Surapol immediately nodded in disbelief and
questioned the call with the umpire, who was looking at his
scorecard at the time and unable to see where the shot landed.
However, he called the ball out and gave Surapol just what he
needed to feed off of. On the next point, Begemann once again tried
to attack the net, this time missing a volley into the net.
“I just yelled out, “˜Karma,’ “ Surapol
said. “I just screamed it. I was waiting to say that for a
while.” Not only did Surapol get fired up, but so did all
those watching the match, giving him that much more confidence.
“It relaxes him to have a crowd over there,” assistant
coach Jason Sher said. “He’s such an energetic player
that when he’s got a crowd behind him, he feeds off of the
environment.” The remainder of the match seemed like a breeze
for the Bruin as he allowed just two points in the next three games
and kept his team’s chances alive. Surapol will look to do
the same today when the Bruins take on San Diego State at the Los
Angeles Tennis Center in hopes of starting a new winning streak at
home.
STARTING OVER: When the UCLA men’s tennis
team hosts the Aztecs today, it will be in a position it is not
accustomed to. It will be coming off a home loss. The Bruins’
4-3 loss last Friday to No. 4 Pepperdine snapped a 28-match home
winning streak and appears to have ignited a fire in the team that
is looking to get back into the habit of winning once again.
“I think it’s kind of an important match because
we’ve lost the last two and we want to get some confidence
back before we go to the Indoors,” junior Philipp Gruendler
said. Following their match against the Aztecs on Tuesday, the
Bruins will be traveling to the National Indoors, which will be
held in Seattle this year. The tournament is considered by coach
Billy Martin to be the second most important of the year, only
behind the NCAA Championships. The Bruins will open up play against
No. 11 Louisiana State and will most likely play against No. 2
Georgia if the Bruins win their matchup against the Tigers.
INJURY UPDATE: Gruendler, who has been dealing
with a back injury, did not play singles against the Waves and was
ineffective against the Cardinal last weekend. The junior from
Germany will likely be a match-time decision. “It’s
tough watching from outside and losing 3-4 and not being able to do
anything,” Gruendler said. “It’s just
tough.”