It’s quite unusual for someone to have to explain to a
Bruin what it means to battle the Trojans.
But that’s the precise position UCLA men’s tennis
coach Billy Martin finds himself in with German newcomer Philipp
Gruendler, who lacks any real conception of what this big-time
college tennis rivalry means.
“No way (he understands),” Martin said.
“We’ve been kidding him, trying to get him to imagine a
big soccer rivalry in Germany and then multiply it by
10.”
That might produce something close to the feelings involved in
the UCLA-USC tennis rivalry, which resumes today at the Los Angeles
Tennis Center.
No. 19 USC (3-0) has won 16 national titles. No. 6 UCLA (3-0)
has claimed 15. The Trojans have produced 13 singles champions
while the Bruins boast nine. The courts in Westwood and South Los
Angeles have been graced by hundreds of All-Americans throughout
the years, with Bruin Jimmy Connors and Trojan Stan Smith among the
stars.
“This rivalry is huge,” Bruin senior Tobias Clemens
said.
Like Gruendler, Clemens hails from Germany. But unlike his
countryman, the No. 12-ranked Clemens has experienced everything
the rivalry has to offer for three years. He was there last year
when the Bruins swept the Trojans, winning 6-1, 7-0, 4-0. He had to
see USC win the national championship in 2002, while his Bruins are
currently undergoing a 19-year drought. He’s also been on
both sides of 4-3 matches.
And, as a native European, he is able to provide Gruendler with
a suitable analogy, rooted in the European football
consciousness.
“It’s like AC Milan versus Inter Milan,”
Clemens said. “Those are two of the best teams, and UCLA and
USC are two of the best intercollegiate athletics
programs.”
With his team’s help, Gruendler is getting the idea. At
least as far as the teams’ colors are concerned.
“I do know that we have to beat the red,” he
said.
While the official color is actually “cardinal,” the
freshman is definitely beginning to understand.
“In every sport, we are rivals,” Gruendler said.
“We want to beat USC in every sport.”
Also representing Europe in the Bruins’ starting lineup is
Polish junior Kris Kwinta, a transfer from Tennessee. Though this
will be his first taste of the rivalry in tennis, he already knows
what it feels like to lose.
“We have a lot of respect for USC, but we are not going to
let them achieve (in tennis) what they have achieved in
football,” he said.
Kwinta will likely play at the No. 4 singles spot for the
Bruins, and he will be joined by junior Alberto Francis at No. 1
doubles.
“Alberto and I have won a lot of matches together already,
and we feel very comfortable with each other on the courts,”
Kwinta said.
Representing USC internationally are Adrianno Biasella (Italy),
Johan Berg (Sweden), Ruben Torres (Colombia), and Daniel Langre
(Mexico). Jamil Al-Agba and and Drew Hoskins round out the
Trojans’ starting six, a very formidable squad in
Martin’s opinion.
“They’re ranked 19th, but I think that’s
ridiculous,” he said. “I know they’re a top-10
team, and by the end of the year, people will know that
too.”
What many people don’t know is the interesting sequence of
events that led freshman Al-Agba to end up at Troy while at the
same time keeping UCLA from one of its prize recruits.
Robert Yim, a would-be Bruin freshman, committed to UCLA during
his junior year of high school. He went on to have great success in
junior tennis tournaments, eventually reaching the finals of the
2003 USTA Boys’ 18 Super National Championships.
In that final, he faced none other than Al-Agba, who had
committed to USC.
Yim ended up winning the match, and with it a spot in the main
draw of the U.S. Open, where he fell to Todd Martin in straight
sets.
With the notion that the time was right, Yim made the decision
to turn pro before the Open, leaving many in Westwood shocked and
scrambling.
“In retrospect, I was pulling for him and was so excited
when he won it,” Martin said. “But little did I know.
“¦”
Had things gone a bit differently, Yim could be donning a Bruin
uniform today, with Al-Agba out on the pro tour.
“I can’t speak for Agba, quite honestly,”
Martin said. “But I truly feel that Robert Yim would be here
(if he had lost to Al-Agba).”
But Martin, ever the optimist, insisted on looking at the bright
side of the situation.
“Then again, (if Yim were here) we wouldn’t have
Philipp,” he said.
Which is true enough. When word came that Yim had backed out,
Martin scrambled to find someone to fill his spot. Fortunately,
Bruin junior Luben Pampoulov, who will be eligible for the spring
quarter, knew of Gruendler from their playing days together in
Europe.
After a series of e-mail exchanges got the ball rolling last
October, Gruendler was able to enroll for the winter quarter.
“We were so fortunate to get Philipp,” Martin said.
“He’s going to be a great asset to the team.”
That is, as long as he beats the red.