After a weekend in which the No. 6 UCLA men’s tennis team tasted defeat for the first time this season, another tough challenge looms ahead for the Bruins when they travel to Texas to face No. 12 Baylor on Sunday.
After beginning the season with four consecutive dual-match victories, the Bruins qualified for the Division I Team Indoor Championships held at the University of Illinois over President’s Day weekend.
In the Bruins’ first match, they defeated host Illinois but then suffered two consecutive losses to No. 1 Virginia, the champions of the tournament, and No. 3 Ohio State.
Despite the losses suffered over the weekend, coach Billy Martin feels that his team is aware of the challenge that lies ahead and is mentally prepared to face a tough Baylor squad in what will be the Bruins’ first dual match away from home this season.
“I think this will be a real challenge for us,” Martin said. “Baylor is another great team and we actually saw them play three matches while we were (in Chicago). We got a pretty good feel for their team and we know it’s a tough place to play.”
Baylor, in its first round match at the Team Indoor Championships, fell to No. 4 Tennessee. The Bears then bounced back with a victory over No. 15 Pepperdine, before being ousted by No. 10 Illinois, the team that the Bruins defeated in their first round match.
Although Martin believes his team is mentally prepared for their big away match, the team’s physical preparation is far from where Martin wishes it was, considering the Bruins have been battling injuries since early in the season.
Those top players include senior Harel Srugo and sophomore Holden Seguso. Srugo recently suffered an injured left thumb but has been attempting to play through it. Seguso broke a bone in his right hand in November, which caused him to be in a cast for an extended period of time. He also had his wisdom teeth pulled in January, causing him to miss yet another week of practice.
“Holden right now is just a little behind the ball tennis-wise and conditioning-wise,” Martin said. “He has to just keep getting better and better. You can’t catch up that quick without going through those trials and tribulations.
“With Harel hurting his left thumb, it has affected his two-handed backhand and it causes him to be really weak on one side. Any opponent with any strength can really hurt him on that.”
Regardless of the negatives that may have struck the Bruins as of late, Martin remains confident that his squad can rise to the top of the college tennis heap, even more so after suffering its first two defeats at the Team Indoors.
“I’m even more optimistic now as far as us winning the NCAA championship after seeing all the other teams,” Martin said. “After seeing those teams, we really are right in the ballpark. If we can get everybody healthy and keep working hard and improving, I feel really good about our chances.”