M. tennis: Bruins conscious of Bulldogs’ bite
By Jessica Jue
Jan. 21, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Though the Bruins boast a 21-0 all-time record against Fresno
State, they’re not passively banking on their 22nd straight
victory.
When the Bulldogs visit the Los Angeles Tennis Center today,
they will certainly have the undivided attention of the No. 7 UCLA
men’s tennis team.
“I have trained my guys to never take anyone
lightly,” said UCLA coach Billy Martin. “You always
respect every opponent that steps onto the court. The minute you
don’t, you are susceptible to losing.”
The Bulldogs’ (2-0) inability to ever beat the Bruins
(1-0) means nothing to Martin or the team.
“The guys must assume that Fresno State will play its best
match of the year in hopes of beating UCLA for the very first
time,” Martin said. “This has got to be an exciting
match for them ““ coming to UCLA, playing at our stadium, and
most importantly, having the chance to beat one of the top
teams.”
After a strong 7-0 win over UC Irvine in the season opener, the
team continued its early season success, turning in solid singles
and doubles performances at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup this past
weekend.
Tobias Clemens took the tournament title for the third
consecutive year, beating teammate Kris Kwinta in the
tournament’s final match.
“I’m kind of disappointed about the finals, but I
will get over it,” said Kwinta, a junior transfer from
Tennessee. “I wasn’t in the greatest shape but I played
really good doubles matches.”
Kwinta teamed with Alberto Francis to take the championship in
the doubles final, beating California’s Patrick Briaud and
Balazs Veress, 8-5.
Having played so well at Sherwood, Kwinta is ready to face-off
against Fresno state, recalling playing and beating Fresno
State’s No. 2 player, Stefan Suta, twice before.
“I’m feeling good about this match,” Kwinta
said. “It would be great to beat Fresno in straight sets, but
every win is good, no matter if it’s 4-3 or 7-0.”
Despite such a heavy game schedule, which allowed little time
for the team to rest and recuperate after a long weekend, the
Bruins plan on coming out strong and continuing to play at their
best.
“I said we wouldn’t take them lightly,” Martin
said. “But I don’t think we are fearing them so much
that we don’t think we will win.”
