UCLA men’s tennis coach Billy Martin is hesitant to call
it revenge, and perhaps he’s right.
Maybe payback is a better term.
Whatever Martin or his team may call it, the No. 7 Bruins
accomplished on Friday something they had been thinking about for
the last month and a half. With a 5-2 victory over USC at the Los
Angeles Tennis Center, UCLA (21-3, 6-1 Pac-10) clinched a share of
the conference title and gained some much-needed momentum heading
into the postseason.
“I was getting up every morning for the last month and a
half and thinking about the 15th of April, and there it is,
5-2,” senior Kris Kwinta said. “It’s a great
feeling.”
For a month and a half, the Bruins’ thoughts were clouded
with memories of the team’s first match against USC, a 5-2
loss back on March 1. In that match, UCLA collapsed after winning
the doubles point and four of six first sets in singles.
Though the same exact thing happened Friday, with the Bruins
taking a 1-0 lead with victories at No. 1 and No. 3 in doubles and
solid performances in singles, a collapse certainly wasn’t in
the cards.
Aided by a tremendous crowd that included part of the UCLA
marching band, the Bruins kept the pressure on and cruised to a
relatively easy victory over the No. 19 Trojans (11-12, 3-4).
“You could feel the electricity in the air,” Martin
said. “The band being here jazzed everything up. When those
things happen, it makes it really special.”
Every player on the team agreed that the atmosphere at
Friday’s match was the best it’s been in his entire
time with the program. Bruin fans cheered from the very first
doubles point until senior Luben Pampoulov shook hands with Drew
Hoskins on Court No. 2 to seal the team victory.
“Winning is very important for the mental part, because
we’ve had three stupid losses so far,” Pampoulov said.
“The one against USC really hurt, so it was really important
that we finish the season with a win.”
Every single Bruin echoed that sentiment. They felt that the
first match against USC was an aberration, and Friday provided them
the opportunity to prove that once and for all.
“They beat us, but I felt that was ourselves really
letting up and letting them off the hook as much as
anything,” Martin said. “I don’t want to take
anything away from them, but I don’t like losing when
we’re way up and we have things in hand.
“I know our guys too well, and they’re too good to
let that happen.”
UCLA was a determined team from the outset, with Pampoulov and
Chris Lam winning 8-3 at No. 3 doubles and Kwinta and Alberto
Francis taking an 8-5 victory at No. 1.
“Doubles was really mentally important,” Kwinta
said.
“It’s only one point, but it’s a huge one
point. We just wanted to take away their confidence from the
beginning and not let them in the match at any point.”
Kwinta was perhaps the most integral part of the team’s
victory on Friday. In singles, he cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 victory
over Johan Berg at the No. 3 position.
“No. 3 was key for us,” Martin said.
“I would’ve said that was our worst chance to win,
and he really just took care of business. I thought when we won
that match there was really no way we should lose or could
lose.”
Martin was right. With wins from Pampoulov, Kwinta, Francis and
Philipp Gruendler, the Bruins were up 5-0 before USC registered a
point.
“Everybody from the beginning to the end was
focused,” Kwinta said. “Coach prepared us mentally. He
told us not to be relaxed at any moment. If you see 5-0, make it
6-0. Don’t smile.
“Don’t be happy until you finish the last point and
shake his hand. That’s what made the difference.”