Bruins to face ASU, Arizona; rematch may prove different
By Daily Bruin Staff
March 8, 2001 9:00 p.m.
By Greg Schai
Daily Bruin Contributor
Twenty-eight years ago, UCLA men’s tennis Head Coach Billy
Martin was a teenager trying to qualify for a professional
tournament in Denver. A local lawyer, Bill Wright, was kind enough
to house Martin during his stay.
Since then, the two men have become good friends who get
together whenever possible. At noon on Saturday, the two will have
the opportunity to meet again, as Martin’s Bruins will be
playing the Arizona Wildcats, coached by Wright, at the Los Angeles
Tennis Center.
The match will be the second in a two-day stretch for UCLA.
Today the Bruins face off against ASU at the LATC at 1:30 p.m.
This will be the second time that the Bruins will play the
Arizona schools this year. In January, top-ranked UCLA defeated
both No. 53 Arizona and No. 24 ASU, 6-1 and 4-3, respectively.
Martin has never let Wright beat him. In the past 18 years,
Martin is 37-0 against Cal and Arizona, both teams Wright has
coached.
“I don’t let friendship stand in the way of the job
that needs to be done,” Martin said. “But whether
winning or losing, (Wright) is a fine gentleman.”
Martin has also dominated ASU in his career. In the last 18
years, only one loss in 1998 blemishes an otherwise perfect record
against the Sun Devils.
But the Bruins could be susceptible to a second loss this
afternoon. Their No. 3 singles player, freshman Tobias Clemens,
will be out due to a strained calf. With a narrow victory over the
Sun Devils last time, Clemens’ injury could be the difference
this time.
Another difference could be the play of UCLA’s No. 1
singles player, sophomore Jean-Julien Rojer. At ASU, he lost to
senior Nick Dubey in straight sets. The embarrassing loss is still
on his mind.
“It’s one of those matches that I have to get up for
and kick his ass,” Rojer said.
Rojer does not like the way Dubey plays. He claims that Dubey
stalls on the court and does not practice good sportsmanship.
“Some things really irritate me, like his face on the
other side of the net,” Rojer said. “But when you lose,
you find things to hate about someone.”
A third potential difference will be whether Bruin sophomore
Erfan Djahangiri plays up to his usual form. He accounted for
UCLA’s only loss at Arizona, and also lost at ASU. But
Djahangiri knows that if he plays well, the outcome will be
different.
“I played really bad (at the Arizona schools),” he
said. “But if I play my game, I will win.”
If the Bruins manage victories both this afternoon and Saturday,
they will continue their undefeated season.
What are the chances of a perfect year?
“I’m not thinking about that,” Martin said.
“I take one match at a time.”
