The UCLA men’s tennis team was challenged more in a span of three days than it had been during the rest of the season combined.
The No. 6 Bruins faced off against fellow elite collegiate tennis programs in Chicago, Ill., at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors this weekend with results that will help them get a better estimate of where they rank among the top tier of teams.
“I think this tournament really showed us that we are able to compete against some of the top teams, and that’s really exciting,” sophomore Michael Look said.
The Bruins opened up the tournament against a dangerous Miami team, ranked 26th nationally, and took a quick 3-0 lead. From there, however, UCLA found itself in four three-set matches with senior Benjamin Kohlloeffel clinching the match at the No. 1 position with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 victory over senior Luigi D’Agord.
The win over the Hurricanes put the Bruins in the quarterfinals where they would meet hometown-favorite University of Illinois. UCLA battled through the adversity of having less than a tenth of the crowd support the Fighting Illini had.
“We all just kept supporting one another and trying to lift each other up because it’s tough when you only have about 10 people cheering for you when they have well over a hundred,” Look said.
In a match that featured the top singles player of the 2006 season, Kohlloeffel, and the top doubles team from the same year, Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe from Illinois, the Bruins had to bounce back from a quick 1-0 deficit after losing the doubles point for the first time this season.
The experience of UCLA in seniors Philipp Gruendler, Chris Surapol and Kohlloeffel, came through as the trio maintained composure to give the Bruins three singles victories. Look sealed the win for his team with a straight-set win, putting the squad into the semifinals.
UCLA’s run in the tournament was finally put to a halt as No. 2 Ohio State persevered even after having lost the doubles point to start the match.
“We started out a little flat in doubles, but we knew we had a chance in singles,” Buckeye coach Ty Tucker said.
With the Bruins looking to erase those chances as early as possible, it seemed like the Buckeyes were on the verge of being upset, losing the first set on three courts. The Bruins, however, weren’t able to close out at court No. 5 where Gruendler lost in three sets after having won the first, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Ohio State clinched a spot in the final with a win at No. 3 singles where Surapol was unable to close a comeback attempt after he lost the first set.
“Even though we lost, I think we’re feeling confident about where we stand right now in the season, and this tournament was a good way to gauge how we stand against tough teams,” Surapol said. “There was a little disappointment after the loss, but we realize that we’re right in it.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: The No. 15 UCLA women’s tennis team dropped matches to both No. 9 Cal and No. 1 Stanford over the weekend. The loss to the Cardinal was a narrow one for the Bruins, as UCLA actually led 3-2 at one point before Stanford made a furious run through the last two matches to edge the Bruins out 4-3.
Stanford’s Anne Yelsey and Lindsay Burdette capped the comeback with their singles victories over UCLA’s Tracy Lin and Elizabeth Lumpkin, respectively. Lumpkin had a match point against Burdette, but was unable to close the deal and ensure the UCLA victory.
Friday’s match at Cal was a rough 7-0 defeat for the Bruins.