The No. 4 UCLA men’s tennis team has escaped a set of three matches completely unscathed and hopes to carry their momentum into the upcoming week when they take on fellow Pac-10 powers Cal and Stanford.
The Bruins (3-0) have yet to drop a single set this season, including in doubles action, going an impressive 36-for-36 in singles and 9-for-9 in doubles.
Friday’s match against BYU ended up being no different as UCLA completed a 7-0 victory.
At the onset it appeared as though they would be running into their first challenge as the Cougars appeared prepared to match the Bruins’ intensity in doubles action.
“They came out ready to play and strong in doubles,” junior Jeremy Drean said. “We had to come out and not get down early and I think we did a good job with that.”
UCLA coach Billy Martin made a slight lineup adjustment from the first two outings of the dual match season.
While he had been pairing senior captain Chris Surapol with sophomore Haythem Abid and sitting the senior out during singles play, Martin opted to replace Surapol with sophomore Michael Look at the No. 2 doubles position, allowing Surapol to get a taste of singles action before conference matches.
“I was very anxious to get back out there with the guys,” Surapol said. “I wanted to show how much I’ve improved.”
But when he did step back onto the courts, the captain was in a place he isn’t nearly used to: the No. 3 position.
For much of his UCLA career, Surapol played singles on the back courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Center at either positions four, five or six ““ where he has compiled one of the winningest records of any Bruin.
“To be out there in the front three courts with Billy (Martin) was always a dream of mine since coming here to UCLA,” Surapol said.
The senior made sure not to let Martin down with his decision to play him near the top of the lineup, getting off to a quick start against a very familiar face, Christian Hand. The two practiced at the same tennis club when they competed in high school and played against each other on an almost daily basis.
Not much changed on Friday when Hand’s Cougars traveled to face UCLA.
Hand, once again, provided Surapol with a tough opponent, but was no match at all for the much-improved Bruin, as Surapol posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
“I was anxious to get out there, but curious to see how I would do under pressure,” Surapol said.
Surapol’s win gave the Bruins a quick 3-0 lead before Look sealed the match for the Bruins at the No. 6 singles position, winning 6-1, 6-3. The victory over BYU improves UCLA’s all-time record against the Cougars to a perfect 14-0.
The Bruins will now spend time preparing for Tuesday against San Diego State, their last match before heading into conference play.
Though the Bruins have won three consecutive matches with very little trouble, Surapol feels as though they have a while to go before they peak.
“We aren’t peaking yet, but we’ve picked up our level significantly up and down the lineup,” he said.