After watching his volley pass his opponent on match point, sophomore Haythem Abid found himself on the opposite side of the court from where he had been just months ago ““ the clinching end against the defending champion Pepperdine Waves.
In the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships, it was a loss on Abid’s court that ended the season for the No. 5 UCLA men’s tennis team.
But this time around, the Bruins (9-2) successfully defended their home courts against the Waves, winning 6-1 even after a shaky start. UCLA was looking to capture the contest’s first point in doubles play, but was facing a match point on the second court where Abid and his partner, Mathieu Dehaine, had struggled to convert on several early break points.
Abid ripped a forehand winner that seemed to be well inside the baseline, and that would have set the game score back to deuce and given the Bruin duo another chance to claw back into the match. Instead, their opponents called the ball long. Much to the dismay of the crowd, the referee refused to overrule the call, giving the Waves their first and only point of the match.
“The mood in the team room wasn’t very good, and I think that made us react and fight even harder on the court in singles,” Abid said. “They can’t take it from us that way, and that’s the mentality we had.”
Whatever mentality the Bruins had, it seemed to work wonders.
UCLA captured the first set in each singles match in dominating fashion, even with senior Chris Surapol sitting out for the match because of an injury he suffered in Sunday’s match against Texas A&M.
Fellow senior Philipp Gruendler jumped from the No. 5 position to fill in on the third court for Surapol. He had no trouble dismantling his opponent, capturing the Bruins’ first point of the match with a 6-1, 6-2 performance against Richard Johnson.
Though Gruendler has had his fair share of struggles at the lower spot, UCLA coach Billy Martin felt as though the senior was the top candidate for moving up to the top courts because of his maturity.
“He’s showed us that he’s a bit more mentally here and competing a lot better,” Martin said. “He’s had a tendency, and I think he’d admit it himself, that if he gets down early he just hangs his head low.
“But, boy, did he show the coaches that he deserves to be right up there.”
Following Gruendler was junior Jeremy Drean, who assumed the No. 6 spot because of Surapol’s absence. Drean played as though he had been in the situation before. The Bruins’ depth was apparent after he dominated his opponent to give his team a 2-1 lead, one they would never lose.
“I still had in mind last year when they beat us here,” Drean said referring to a close 4-3 Bruin loss. “They were celebrating on the court and yelling, “˜Let’s go Waves.’ I wanted it back.”
Abid and Benjamin Kohlloeffel wrapped up play on the front courts. Their two wins gave UCLA the edge and the victory.
“To come back after losing doubles and sweep all six singles always gives you great satisfaction,” Drean said.