UCLA men’s tennis coach Billy Martin likes to refer to it
as a dress rehearsal.
It’s the early-season match against the unheralded
opponent, a time for the Bruins to learn how to handle the
preparations and pressures of match day.
This season, each dress rehearsal, like the one today against
Brigham Young University, is magnified. That’s because this
year, unlike in years past, the big show is right around the
corner.
After today’s match against the Cougars, the No. 5 Bruins
(1-0) host Boise State on Friday before heading north to face
powerful Stanford and California next weekend, two teams the Bruin
coach expects to finish in the top 10.
“We can’t walk our way in,” Martin said.
That’s what they did last year, when the Bruins won each
of their first seven matches 7-0. That team, which featured four
seniors, didn’t play a ranked team until its 10th match of
the season.
“They were easy because we had a super-experienced, good
team,” Martin said. “We’re not as experienced
this season. We don’t have as many matches under our belts
before we play our first tough team.”
Taking the Bruins’ inexperience into account, matches like
today’s clash with BYU (2-2) provide more than just an
opportunity at a dress rehearsal. They also offer the opportunity
to impress.
Martin said that eight players will likely see time in the
six-man singles starting lineup, meaning that each match is a
chance for those eight players to prove that they belong among the
six.
Today, junior Aaron Yovan and freshman Michael Look will play
singles for the Bruins. Yovan played doubles while Look
didn’t play in the team’s 5-2 victory over San Diego in
last Friday’s season opener.
“Those eight guys deserve to play some matches and get at
least a chance to show me how they’re looking in a match
situation,” Martin said.
For Yovan, today has been a long time in coming. Yovan left UCLA
after his sophomore season, played in tournaments last year, and
has now returned to Westwood. He hasn’t played singles in a
dual match for over a year and a half.
“I’m just going to go out there with a lot of energy
and just play hard,” Yovan said.
In doubles against San Diego, Yovan and teammate Mathieu Dehaine
let a 6-1 lead slip away as they lost 9-8 (4) in a tiebreaker.
“We were up in doubles and we lost that match,”
Yovan said. “I was a little disappointed in that one, but
I’ve just got to get out there and be ready for another
match.”
Martin attributed their doubles collapse to a loss of
concentration, and it’s not something the Bruin coach will
worry about. He will keep his doubles lineup the same as it was
last Friday, featuring Ben Kohlloeffel and Philipp Gruendler at the
No. 1 spot, Haythem Abid and Chris Surapol at No. 2, and Yovan and
Dehaine at No. 3.
As for singles, Martin will use the next few matches to decide
on a consistent lineup.
But with games against Stanford and Cal looming, he
doesn’t have much time.