UCLA faces gruesome season end
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 31, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Jean-Noel Grinda returns the ball during Regionals
earlier this month.
By Greg Schain
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA men’s tennis team’s season started with a phase
of happiness and serenity for a long time, but became grueling and
painful at the end.
The team had high hopes at the beginning of the season. UCLA was
ranked No. 3 in preseason polls and then moved to No. 1 after
beating Stanford in the finals of the National Indoor
Championships.
The Bruins were ranked No. 1 for nine straight weeks after that,
compiling only one loss in a dual match to Stanford at the Los
Angeles Tennis Center. But on April 21, the Bruins suffered a
second loss to Stanford and dropped to No. 3 by the end of the
season.
They went into the NCAA Championships with a 20-2 record, with
both losses coming at the hands of the Cardinal. But then again,
when they played Stanford, they weren’t at full strength
either time.
Going into the NCAA Tournament in Athens, Ga., every Bruin was
healthy and the team was confident in their chances to take home a
national championships.
“I really think we have as good a chance this year as we
have since I’ve been here (starting in 1993),” UCLA
Head Coach Billy Martin said.
The Bruins won Regionals, and went to Athens with high hopes.
But after a win against Washington in the Round of 16, UCLA
unexpectedly fell in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Southern
Methodist.
With the match tied at 3-3, sophomore Travis Rettenmaier went
into a tiebreaker in the third set. After dropping the first six
points in the tiebreaker, Rettenmaier fought back to take the next
five before succumbing to his opponent.
“It was a very disappointing loss,” sophomore
Jean-Julien Rojer said. “We had high expectations, and we
worked hard and we expected to do better.”
Despite the disappointing finish to the season, there were many
positives that came out of this season for the team.
First was the emergence of many young stars. Namely, freshmen
Tobias Clemens and Marcin Matkowski.
Clemens started out the season strong, but suffered the first
injury of his career after diving for a ball in a match at USC.
After being out for over a month, he came back rusty, losing to
Washington and College of the Desert. But by the time the NCAA
Tournament came around, he was back in top form.
Clemens went 9-3 in dual match play and was 18-8 overall.
“If Tobias hadn’t gotten injured, I think he would
have won (All Pac-10 honors),” Martin said. “But I was
very happy with the job he did.”
Matkowski also emerged as a future star on the team. After
arriving in January, he started the season at No. 6 singles but
quickly moved up to No. 4 after proving his talent. Overall,
Matkowski posted a 16-3 singles record and teamed with Rettenmaier
at No. 2 doubles to post a 16-4 record. The duo claimed the Pacific
Coast Doubles Championships in March.
“He did a great job in both singles and doubles for
us,” Martin said. “To have him for another three years
is great.”
Another positive this season was the outstanding play of Rojer,
who emerged as a team leader. From the first dual match, he earned
the top singles spot on the team after having an impressive fall
season.
Though only 7-8 in dual match play, Rojer was 23-16 overall and
provided invaluable team spirit and support for the whole
squad.
“He led the team by his competitive spirit,” Martin
said. “He is definitely a leader on the court.”
Rojer finished the season ranked No. 13 in the nation in
singles, but fell in the Round of 16 in the NCAA singles
championships.
Senior Jean-Noel Grinda finished his four-year UCLA career on a
solid note, posting a 13-6 in dual match play and going 28-11
overall. Although it wasn’t his best year, Grinda anchored
the No. 2 singles spot throughout the season.
“Jean-Noel didn’t have a great year,” Martin
said. “He would be the first one to admit it.”
Grinda will not give the pro tour a shot. Instead, he is going
to follow his father into business.
Everyone but Grinda and senior Chris Sands, who didn’t
start this season, will probably return to the squad next year.
UCLA also has a couple of new recruits coming, including Alberto
Francis. Francis, from Texas, is one of the top juniors in the
United States and won the U.S. Open junior doubles title two years
ago.
Therefore, the whole team is confident for next year’s
outlook.
“We will be pretty strong if everyone comes back next
year,” Rojer said. “We are getting some new recruits.
Even though we lose Grinda, we should be one of the top teams next
year.”
Martin echoes Rojer’s optimism.
“I am hopeful for next year. We should be a top five
team,” Martin said. “There is no better way to forget
the disappointment (of this season) than by looking ahead to next
season.”
