M. tennis: Rocky road ahead for NCAA Tournament hopes
By Jessica Jue
March 9, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Not only to itself but to the world of collegiate tennis, the
UCLA men’s tennis team definitely has something to prove.
The arduous road to the NCAAs appears to have taken its toll on
the Bruins, as the team’s recent struggles have dropped it in
the rankings from No. 2 to No. 8 in the course of three weeks.
After having to stomach a difficult 4-3 loss to No. 4 USC last
Tuesday, the Bruins (9-4) will now look to regroup and adjust as
the road to the tournament continues to prove difficult.
After facing three top-10 teams in their last six matches, the
Bruins will host No. 10 Duke (9-4) today at the Los Angeles Tennis
Center.
Amid recent changes in the UCLA lineup, the Bruins are lacking a
key element that initially had the team playing its best tennis in
the season’s beginning.
“Of course our team is struggling with confidence,”
senior Tobias Clemens said. “Every athlete in the whole world
struggles with confidence.”
After losses to Arizona State, No. 3 Baylor and USC, it is
unknown whether the Bruins can pull their game together to send the
Blue Devils back home with a loss.
Noteworthy about this Bruin team is the high expectations of
every single player, especially since the team won’t be at
full strength until junior Luben Pampoulov gains his eligibility
for spring quarter.
“I don’t think I am playing too well, and maybe
we’ve been playing too much,” junior Kris Kwinta said.
“I’m not playing up to par, mostly due to laziness. I
have some resolutions that I’m trying to work on, but
it’s hard.
“We know we are capable of beating anyone, but we have not
been playing too well, causing a lack of confidence.”
On the other hand, coach Billy Martin believes that struggling
early on in the season will only be beneficial to the team.
“So we played some bad matches, but we can’t be too
down about it,” Martin said. “You lose a few matches,
and everyone wants to point fingers, and this is normal.”
Renewing a heated rivalry today will be No. 6 Clemens and
Duke’s No. 21 Phillip King.
“(King) is a great player, and I’m really looking
forward to playing him,” Clemens said. “We respect each
other a great deal. I know his strengths, he knows my
strengths.”
In each of the past three match-ups with the Blue Devils,
Clemens and King battled each other into the third set, yet only
one match has ever actually finished with Clemens emerging as the
victor.
The Bruin senior’s game has been up and down lately. After
posting a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 1 Benedikt Dorsch of
Baylor, Clemens then played what he called the worst match of his
college career, losing to USC’s Adriano Biasella 6-1, 5-7,
6-1.
“I am not really struggling with my confidence,”
Clemens said. “I know what I’m capable of in college
tennis. I know that on any given day I can beat the best player in
the country, and I can be the best player in the
country.”
The Bruins’ doubles play, which was unusually impressive
against USC, will be threatened by the Blue Devils’ No. 7 and
No. 12 doubles teams.
“They are very strong in doubles, and Duke is a pretty
darn good team,” Martin said. “We have a real tough
challenge in doubles, and the same goes for the singles.”
Whether the Bruins will win remains to be seen. But one thing is
certain ““ the road doesn’t get any easier.
