COLLEGE STATION, Texas “”mdash; It’s starting to get to the
point where the UCLA men’s tennis team can simply count one
point toward the team total for the No. 5 singles court.
That’s because senior Alberto Francis has been absolutely
lights out for the Bruins this season. Francis is 24-2 in dual
matches this year, including 5-0 in the NCAA Tournament. On Monday,
he won the final 12 points of his match in a dominating 6-3, 6-0
victory over Mississippi’s Bram ten Berge. But right now, all
of that is secondary. “I’m not too satisfied
here,” Francis said. “I want to win.” As the only
Bruin senior who has been on the team for the past four seasons,
Francis has seen two semifinal losses and one defeat in the finals
during his time in Westwood. Today provides him with one final
chance for redemption. “I’ve been playing pretty
consistent all year,” Francis said. “I’ve played
well recently, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” On
Monday, Francis was the first player to win his singles match,
which gave the Bruins a 2-0 advantage. “We got a good lift
from Alberto, who played very well at No. 5,” UCLA coach
Billy Martin said. “That gave us a good shot in the
arm.”
LAM’S STRUGGLES: While most of the Bruins have been
playing solid tennis on the team’s run to today’s NCAA
Championship match, senior Chris Lam’s record has been less
than stellar. Lam has lost his last three matches in the NCAA
Tournament, including a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Mississippi’s Juan
Pablo Di Cesare on Monday. But Martin prefers to look
optimistically at things. “We made him a doubles player this
year,” the Bruin coach said. “He and Luben (Pampoulov)
are 12-0 (at No. 3 doubles) and we’re looking at the positive
side. He’s done a great job in doubles.” And though
Lam’s singles results are disappointing, Martin realizes that
every day is a new day. “The good part about college tennis
is that his teammates pulled him through and he has
tomorrow,” Martin said. “He’ll play for the
national championship tomorrow, and if he wins that match and we
win the championship, that’s all we’ll
remember.”
DROP SHOTS: Today’s match begins at 4 p.m. PST. … The
Bruins will be going for their 16th NCAA Championship in
men’s tennis, but the team’s first since 1984. … The
team that has won the doubles point has gone on to win every single
match at the NCAA Championships. … UCLA lost 4-0 to Baylor in
last season’s NCAA title match in Tulsa, Okla.