MEN’S TENNIS Today 1:30 p.m. vs. UC Irvine
LATC
The No. 4 UCLA men’s tennis team’s hopeful run for
the NCAA Championship begins today when they host UC Irvine in the
first dual match of the season.
The Bruins are looking to get the 2007 season off to a positive
start and will likely be able to do so against the Anteaters.
When the Bruins take the court, they will feel things that they
haven’t felt in several months as they will be competing for
their school after months of individual competitions.
“It’s always a fun time to get the ball
rolling,” UCLA coach Billy Martin said. “It’s the
first match of the year and there’s always some nerves and
butterflies that we haven’t felt for quite a few months
now.”
Though the Bruins are far more stacked than the Anteaters, as
they usually are, Martin explains that he has a tremendous deal of
respect for UC Irvine’s coach and players as Martin is very
familiar with both aspects of the Anteater program.
“I certainly have a lot of respect for their
players,” Martin said. “I know they’ll be
prepared and ready to play us.”
The Bruins are an impressive 29-2 overall against UC Irvine and
haven’t lost to them since 1989, winning 15 consecutive dual
matches since then.
This time around, there will be a familiar face on the other
side of the net, as former Bruin Aaron Yovan will be taking the
court for the Anteaters after transferring from UCLA at the
conclusion of last season.
Yovan competed for the Bruins in both singles and doubles action
at the onset of last season, but found himself receiving fewer
playing opportunities as the season progressed and the Bruins made
a run in the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ll have Aaron back, but on the other side this
time,” Martin said. “I had to keep him out for a lot of
matches and being the competitor he is, he wanted to get more time
to play. But he’s at a good school, playing high on the
ladder, so I’m happy for him.”
Though Martin hasn’t come up with a complete lineup, with
many positions still up in the air, he was more sure at the
beginning of this week than he was at the end of last, as sophomore
Haythem Abid performed well over the weekend in the Sherwood
Collegiate Classic.
“I think Abid just absolutely solidified No. 2 in my
mind,” Martin said. “No doubt about it.”
As far as doubles, the Bruins are returning their top two teams
from last season when they paired up seniors Benjamin Kohlloeffel
and Philipp Gruendler, senior Chris Surapol and Abid.
However, Surapol was unable to compete this weekend because of a
minor injury to his shoulder, and it remains up in the air whether
he will compete in today’s matchup as Martin will make the
decision with the future in mind.
“I’m certainly not going to rush it for the Irvine
match,” Martin said. “I think San Diego State will be
our first big test before the Cal and Stanford matches, which will
both be really tough. So I don’t want to be too foolish and
bring him back too early. I think it’s really important that
we stay on top of those things and not push it.”