Monday, 4/14/97
Trojans double over from losses
Bruins keep 20-match winning streak alive, downing USC 6-1
By Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
It’s become almost mundane for the UCLA men’s tennis team – they
roll into a weekend’s match and roll out with another victory.
Satisfying, sure, but when you’re riding a 20-match win streak,
well, it takes a Trojan stomping to liven things up.
The No. 1 Bruins (22-1, 9-0 Pac-10) got a double measure of this
satisfaction as they completed a season sweep of the Trojans with a
6-1 victory Saturday at USC.
Paired with their 4-3 win earlier this season, the Bruins
secured a regular season cleanup of the Trojans for the second
consecutive year. UCLA also extended its winning streak to a
nation-best 21 straight dual matches.
If this season’s first matchup was any indicator, the Bruins
were in for a tough go of it away from home. But UCLA got on top
early as they swept the doubles point, reversing the more somber
result from the previous meeting.
"We got off to a great start in doubles," UCLA head coach Billy
Martin said. "I was so disappointed losing the doubles point the
last time."
Leading the way was the duo of Eric Lin and Kevin Kim, the
fourth-ranked team in the country, as they cruised to an 8-5
victory. The teams of Alex Decret and Eric Taino at No. 2 and Matt
Breen and Jason Cook at No. 3 also posted convincing victories.
The singles competition gave the Trojans another comeuppance, as
UCLA’s No. 1 singles player Taino avenged an earlier loss to USC’s
George Bastl by capturing the second episode, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
Taino has now won three matches in a row, shaking off a
four-match losing streak.
"I knew that he would," Martin said. "It takes a matter of him
winning a match or two to get his confidence back. At No. 1, the
competition is so tough, if you’re not on top of your game, you can
lose."
There were two other three-set nerve-rackers as Kevin Kim gutted
out a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Kyle Spencer at No. 3 singles, and
Vincent Allegre downed Akram Zaman 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 at the fifth
spot.
"The guys that lost the first set – there was no panic," Martin
said. "They thought they were still going to win. That’s a good
sign."
The No. 4 and No. 6 singles went by the numbers as Matt Breen
and Jason Cook each posted straight-set victories.
The lone blemish on the day for the Bruins came when Alex Decret
fell to Patrick Gottesleben 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.
"There’s not much margin for error in (Decret’s) game," Martin
said. "If things are good, he’s as good as anyone. If he’s missing,
he can’t seem to change his game much. He’s a hard worker and a
competitor. We’ve just got to hope that when it counts, he’ll be
there."UCLA Sports Info
Kevin Kim