Former Bruins to play in Classic

When Zack Fleishman and Kevin Kim take the court this week in their respective opening-round matches of the 2007 Countrywide Classic, the two players will be stepping into a familiar realm.

Both Fleishman and Kim attended UCLA, playing several matches on the courts of the Los Angeles Tennis Center before leaving after one year to join the ATP Tour to compete professionally.

Fleishman turned pro in 2000 and recently attained his highest career ATP ranking in mid-February, when he was No. 145. In the 2007 season, Fleishman has compiled a 1-2 record, playing only at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

In Melbourne, the former Bruin was ousted in the second round by No. 86 Wayne Arthurs after defeating Agustin Calleri in the opening round of play. When he took to the grass courts at Wimbledon, Fleishman was defeated by Tommy Haas, the winner of the 2006 Countrywide Classic, in straight sets.

The Santa Monica native will have yet another tough opponent in his fourth match of this season when he takes on Fernando Gonzalez in the opening round. Gonzalez, having one of his best seasons on the tour, will prove to be a great challenge for Fleishman to overcome.

The sixth-ranked Chilean reached the finals of the Australian Open by toppling some of the biggest names in tennis ““ Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Rafael Nadal, and Haas ““ before losing to arguably the greatest player to play the sport, No. 1 Roger Federer, in the final, 6-7(2), 4-6, 4-6.

Meanwhile, Kim will take on No. 43 Hyung-Taik Lee of Korea, who has put together a 10-16 record so far this season, including a run to the third round of Wimbledon, the most recent tournament he has competed in.

Kim has had a subpar year himself, winning just two of 12 matches, but is becoming a dominating force in Challengers, winning one in Yuba City and reaching the semifinals of another in Valencia. Kim’s first loss of the season came to one of the Countrywide Classic’s favorites, Blake, at the tune-up for the Australian Open in straight sets.

The former Bruin also played against Andy Murray at the SAP Open in San Jose, suffering a fate similar to that against Blake, losing 6-3, 6-1. Murray pulled out of the Countrywide Classic, though, due to a wrist injury.

At UCLA, Kim earned All-American honors during his only year in 1997, posting a 22-5 dual-match record and a 33-11 overall record while playing for Billy Martin, who is still coaching the Bruins.

Kim, who played mostly at the Bruins’ No. 3 position, teamed with current UCLA women’s tennis player Tracy Lin’s brother, Eric, to form a dominating doubles team.

Fleishman made his brief stint as a Bruin two years later in 1999 and contributed at the No. 2 position while posting a 17-8 dual-match record and a 23-14 overall record.

Although both are quite familiar with the courts, the atmosphere will be one that is very different, with the stands filled with fans and an atmosphere that the two only dreamed of as UCLA students.

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