Daniel Kosakowski has no qualms about going pro after one year as the UCLA men’s tennis team’s top player. The 19-year-old’s run through the Farmers Classic continues Wednesday at 2 p.m., and with each win Kosakowski looks smarter and smarter.
After coming back from a rough start to outlast American Tim Smyczek in three sets on Tuesday, the newly professional Kosakowski is moving onto a bigger stage for his second-round matchup against Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis: Straus Stadium court.
Kosakowski admitted after his win over Smyczek — his first ATP tour win — that he was thinking about leaving UCLA throughout his freshman season, and not being able to play many pro events while in school influenced his decision.
“It just came down to what I wanted and what I wanted to do with my life,” Kosakowski said. “I knew that I love tennis and it’s my passion and I wanted to just go for it. I felt that it was the right time for me.
“I definitely know how hard it is, but I chose to do it because I love tennis. And however difficult it is I want to do it.”
He’ll go for his fifth straight win against Gulbis, his toughest opponent yet with a No. 84 world ranking, and he’ll get to do it on a court with a familiar feel, but it’s easily the biggest match of Kosakowski’s young career.
“This has been a fun week for me, I don’t want it to end yet.”