Bruin tennis still waiting to meet their match

By Mark Shapiro

Daily Bruin Staff

The road to the NCAA men’s tennis national title became a little
less bumpy for the UCLA men’s tennis team as it blasted through its
first two opponents.

In Sunday’s quarterfinal action, the top-seeded Bruins (25-3)
rolled into the semis with a 4-2 victory over Duke University.

UCLA opened the tournament with 4-0 blanking of Northwestern
University in Saturday’s first round.

In the midst of the Bruins’ battle with the Blue Devils, the
long-awaited benefits of the home-court advantage began to manifest
themselves.

The loud, boisterous crowds that have been long absent from the
LATC were out in force Sunday, causing enough of a ruckus to draw
an unsportsmanlike conduct warning and the appreciation of
UCLA.

"I like it, it’s definitely a change," senior Eric Taino said.
"I’d keep it that way, if I could. I’m comfortable playing
here."

The match itself got off to a less-than -auspicious start for
the Bruins, as they dropped the doubles point.

The team rallied back quickly, capturing four of five completed
singles matches.

Leading the way was senior stalwart Eric Taino, who breezed to a
6-2, 6-2 victory over Doug Root, the ACC Rookie of the Year.

"(The match) was probably the smartest, I picked up a lot more
than I’m used to. That’s what works against this guy’s game."

It was the middle of the singles lineup that did the brunt of
the damage for UCLA.

Freshman Kevin Kim rolled to his second victory of the
tournament, winning in straight sets at number three singles, while
sophomore Vincent Allegre and junior Matt Breen posted straight set
victories at fourth and fifth singles, respectively.

Sophomore Jason Cook lost in straight sets at number six
singles, while junior Alex Decret was saddled with his second
suspended match in as many days.

* * *

If last season’s five-hour opening-round match against the
University of New Mexico was night, then the Bruins’ 4-0
whitewashing of Northwestern University was day.

Last season, the watchwords were overconfidence and
tentativeness. This time, focus and relaxation have become the new
mantra.

"The guys looked really good," Martin said. "We looked really
fresh, we were going for our shots. I don’t think we looked
tentative or nervous. This year, it’s a different attitude."

Coming into the match, UCLA was in the same situation that it
faced last year, playing a team with a go-for-broke attitude. Jason
Cook, who was a part of last year’s UNM team before transferring to
UCLA this season, is well-versed in such an attitude.

"It’s nice to be on the other side," Cook said. "As the
underdog, you come out swinging. (Northwestern) played really well,
hitting out, which is what you have to do, you’ve got nothing to
lose. We knew we were the better team."

JON FERRY/Daily Bruin Bold Alex Decret help with UCLA’s
defeat of Duke and Northwestern in the NCAA championships