Men’s tennis takes UNLV to net

Men’s tennis takes UNLV to net

By Mark Shapiro

Two matches into its 1996 campaign, the UCLA men’s tennis team
had yet to deal with a pressure situation or a first-rate opponent
standing on the other side of the net.

With the University of Nevada, Las Vegas coming to town, the
Bruins got their first test against a tough squad that has given
UCLA problems in the past.

But the No. 2 Bruins showed that they can also rout quality
opponents with Saturday’s 6-1 mauling of the Runnin’ Rebels at the
Los Angeles Tennis Center.

"UCLA is definitely a stronger team than we are," UNLV head
coach Larry Eisley said. "They have more experience and they’re a
different caliber of team than we are. They look pretty darn
solid."

On paper, the Bruins have one of the most formidable lineups in
the country, but as they head into the meat of their schedule in
the coming weeks, they proved a tangible point on Saturday.

"This was the first real test and we’re just letting other
coaches and other teams know that we’re not just going to beat
ordinary teams, we’re going to beat good teams," UCLA’s Srdjan
Muskatirovic said.

The Bruins found themselves in their first pressure situation
all season in doubles play. In the first position, Muskatirovic and
partner Justin Gimelstob won easily, but the No. 2 team of Jason
Thompson and Eric Lin fell to Luke Smith and Asaf Tishler 8-3. The
third doubles tandem of Eric Taino and Matt Breen responded with a
8-4 victory to secure the doubles point for UCLA.

"I was a bit disappointed with doubles, especially second
doubles, they’ve been so strong and this was by far their worst
match of the year," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "No. 1
played great, but No. 3, that was pretty tight there. There was a
little bit of pressure with the doubles point riding on it, and
that’s what we need, to see how we react under pressure."

The Bruins rode their momentum into the singles matches,
starting at the top of the ladder. Gimelstob followed his big serve
all the way to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over senior Roger Pettersson.

"I’m obviously pleased to have played a pretty good match, he’s
a pretty good player who’s been doing well," Gimelstob said. "I
played as well as I needed to and did some good things."

In the next two spots, Muskatirovic and Taino both posted
straight set victories behind their all-court play.

The lone blemish on the day came at No. 4 as sophomore Matt
Breen fell 6-3, 6-2 to Asaf Tishler. Senior Heath Montgomery and
junior Jason Thompson picked up the slack at the five and six
positions respectively, as each posted straight set wins to secure
the victory.

* * *

Today the Bruins take on Boise State in their final home match
before the Palm Springs Invitational. The match is at the L.A.
Tennis Center and will see UCLA go up against the only men’s
Division I tennis team with its own website on the Internet.

FRED HE/Daily Bruin

UCLA sophomore Matt Breen lost his singles match against UNLV’s
Asaf Tishler, 6-3, 6-2.

Comments to [email protected]