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Men's tennis to rely on the talent of young players for next season's success

Rising sophomore Daniel Kosakowski played a strong individual season, compiling a 23-13 record in singles while also being a solid teammate, finishing with a 20-9 record in doubles.

Men’s tennis season preview

Key incomer:

Marcus Giron, freshman
A promising season came to a close with a heartbreaking loss to Baylor in the third round of the NCAA Championships.

Key returners:

Daniel Kosakowski, sophomore
After a stellar freshman year in which Kosakowski won Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, he was also named to the All-Pac-10 first team. Kosakowski will now look to be a leader on the squad because of the graduation of three seniors.

Clay Thompson, sophomore
Thompson had a very strong first year at UCLA and will be a big part of any run the Bruins make in the Pac-10 and beyond. He will spend time as both a singles and doubles player. Thompson was an honorable mention for All-Pac-10 honors.

This article is part of the Daily Bruin's Orientation Issue 2011 coverage. To view the entire package of articles, columns and multimedia, please visit:
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By Jacob Ruffman

June 26, 2011 11:08 p.m.

A promising season came to a close with a heartbreaking loss to Baylor in the third round of the NCAA Championships.

Fortunately for the Bruins, the majority of the squad is returning, including star rising sophomore Daniel Kosakowski who won Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors and was named to the first team All Pac-10.

During the season, Kosakowski was strong individually, compiling a 23-13 record in singles while also being a solid teammate, finishing with a 20-9 record in doubles.

Fellow rising sophomore Clay Thompson, an honorable mention for the All Pac-10 team, will join Kosakowski as a leader of the squad after the departures of Amit Inbar, Holden Seguso and Nick Meister.

Thompson held a 23-10 individual record, including a 5-1 record in conference. His progression will be key for the Bruins while they look for success in 2012.

Although graduation lost three seniors for UCLA, the Bruins are bringing in two very highly touted recruits.

Marcos Giron from Thousand Oaks is the unanimous No. 1 player in the nation according to the Tennis Recruiting Network and has been for quite some time.

Dating back to his junior year in high school, Giron was considered the top high school player in the nation.

Fellow blue-chip recruit Dennis Mkrtchian, who was nationally ranked No. 18, will join Giron on the Bruins as UCLA looks to knock off USC in the battle for tennis supremacy. The Trojans have now won three consecutive men’s tennis titles.

With the addition of Mkrtchian and Giron along with the returns of Kosakowski and Thompson, the Bruins will have plenty of talent to compete for the Pac-10 title and beyond.

The only question is whether age or experience will be a factor in the team’s success next season.

Compiled by Jacob Ruffman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

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