INDIAN WELLS “”mdash; UCLA’s No. 1 men’s tennis
player, junior Benjamin Kohlloeffel, got a view of the bigger
picture yesterday as he took part in one of the most prestigious
tennis tournaments in the world.
Kohlloeffel was guaranteed a wildcard in the qualifying stages
of the Pacific Life Open after winning the National Collegiate
Tennis Classic back in January. While Tuesday was not
Kohlloeffel’s first time stepping into the professional
circuit, he surely had never seen something this big before.
“It is the first time I have come to the Indian Wells
Masters Series, and having a look at the other qualifiers on the
board just shows what a great tournament this is,”
Kohlloeffel said.
Playing on the court next to him was France’s Julien
Benneteau, one of this year’s Australian Open success
stories. Benneteau came out of qualifying to fall to Andy Roddick
in the third round.
On the other side of Kohlloeffel was Switzerland’s George
Bastl, the last man to beat Pete Sampras at Wimbledon.
“I think this is a wonderful experience for Ben, as the
players he faces in the first and second rounds are all ranked in
the top 200 in the world,” UCLA coach Billy Martin said.
And if his neighbors had impressive careers, the man facing
Kohlloeffel on the other side of the net was not an easy pick
either. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez is the No. 63 player in the
world.
“This is not just another level up compared to college
tennis; it is about two or three (levels up),” Kohlloeffel
said.
Lopez made quick work of Kohlloeffel in the first set, winning
6-1.
But the second set was much closer. Kohlloeffel was able to
break Lopez’s serve early in the set, but still fell by a
score of 6-4.
“I did not play very well today, but these guys hit the
ball much harder than (the players) at the college level,”
Kohlloeffel said.
Despite the loss, Kohlloeffel came into Indian Wells seeking an
educational experience, which he received.
“I came here for fun and to see where I stood compared to
these guys,” Kohlloeffel said.
Mission accomplished.
Kohlloeffel has seen what has to be done if a professional
career is in his cards.
Until then, he will be back in Westwood in time to face Baylor
with the Bruins on Saturday.