Tuesday’s men’s tennis match was something of a
laugher.
But one Bruin wasn’t exactly laughing.
As No. 8 UCLA (11-5) was cruising to a 7-0 victory over visiting
San Diego State (4-4), its third shutout in as many matches, the
thought began to dawn on Chris Surapol that Tuesday likely marked
his final match of the season in the starting lineup.
Come April, junior Luben Pampoulov will gain eligibility and
enter the lineup, likely pushing Surapol, who has been playing at
No. 6, to the sidelines.
“It’s going to be hard because I’m just
starting to play my best tennis right now,” Surapol said.
It certainly is unfortunate timing for the sophomore, who has
dominated in his last four matches, winning every one in straight
sets. He was the first Bruin to finish Tuesday, posting a 6-1, 6-1
victory over San Diego State’s Mike Coelho.
“He’s done a great job for us, singles and doubles,
and I think sitting will be tough for him,” coach Billy
Martin said.
But Martin maintains that pushing Surapol out of the lineup is
the right decision, regardless of how well he has been playing of
late.
“I think he’s somewhat prepared for that,”
Martin said. “It shouldn’t come as any big surprise to
him.”
Surprising, though, is how strong Surapol’s tennis has
been lately. After falling apart in a straight-set loss at USC a
few weeks ago, Surapol’s game has responded with a
vengeance.
The sophomore said he had a somewhat heated conversation with
Martin and assistant coach Jason Sher after the loss to USC, during
which the two parties aired their grievances and came to a mutual
understanding.
Surapol was upset Sher had attempted to change an aspect of his
game mid-match against the Trojans, while the coaches were upset
with Surapol’s insistence to play on the baseline rather than
come to the net.
“It’s kind of like I was playing against two
opponents,” Surapol said. “I was playing against my
coaches, and I was playing against my real opponent.”
Now coaches and player appear to be in harmony.
“What I’m trying to do now is stick to what
I’m comfortable with, and at the same time adding what the
coaches say and being more aggressive,” Surapol said.
“It’s working out perfectly. I’m playing really
well right now.”
But come April 2, No. 3 doubles may be the only spot at which
Surapol finds himself playing, as Martin hasn’t yet finalized
the post-Pampoulov lineup.
“(Pampoulov) is just a great player,” Martin said.
“He’s a league above most of the guys in the
country.”
UCLA was clearly a couple of leagues above San Diego State
Tuesday, as every Bruin posted a straight-set win. The Aztecs were
unable to field a player at No. 6 singles and a team at No. 3
doubles.
Junior Alberto Francis played arguably the most exciting match
of the day Tuesday, as he battled back from 5-1 down in the first
set to post a 7-5, 6-4 win over Markus Dickhardt.
“If my opponent is a decent player and I start slow, then
I get behind right away. It’s pretty annoying,” Francis
said. “Then I have to try to come back, and I was lucky this
time.”