M. tennis goes down
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 10, 1995 9:00 p.m.
M. tennis goes down
under to go over top
Australian recruit
will add depth to
high-ranked team
By Chris Isidro
The national title may not be contested until May, but it may
have been decided during Christmas Break.
The UCLA men’s tennis team became a favorite to win its 16th
NCAA championship when it completed one of its most successful
recruiting periods in recent years last month.
Matthew Breen, one of those blue-chip prospects, is just
beginning to acclimate himself with the city, arriving at UCLA for
winter classes. Hailing from Victoria, Australia, the 18-year-old,
when asked about his impressions of UCLA after his first day of
school replied, "It’s very big."
But don’t let his disarming demeanor and naivete deceive you.
Breen’s game speaks for itself. A quarterfinalist in the junior
singles and doubles at the Australian Open and a semifinalist at
the Australian Nationals, Breen is the seventh-ranked singles and
second-ranked doubles junior player in his country.
"I really haven’t seen him, but he’s had some very good results
against some of the top American players," Martin said. "He’s a
real hard worker and I’m hoping he’ll be a big help for us in
singles and doubles."
Australia, which lacks a quality collegiate tennis program,
provided no buffer between junior tennis and the pros. In coming to
the States, Breen saw an opportunity to play tennis without
learning hard lessons on the tour.
"Back home, we don’t have anything like what the colleges here
offer," Breen said. "After high school, I had the choice to either
join the tour or play college tennis and considering the pros are
so tough, I decided I’d go to college and get a lot of matches
without worrying about expenses, it seemed like the right thing to
do."
Assistant coach Brett Greenwood played an instrumental role in
luring Breen to UCLA. Himself a native of Australia, it was at
Greenwood’s urging Breen came to Westwood.
"UCLA was too far away to visit," Breen said. "The assistant
coach, though, came down, saw me play, told me about UCLA, and
really influenced my decision to come here."
With the dual matches beginning this month, Breen hopes to be a
part of the action when the Bruins take to the courts. However, the
Aussie is not taking anything for granted.
"Hopefully, I’ll be in there," he said. "But to tell you the
truth, I’ve seen a couple of these guys play and it’ll be a
struggle."
