Tuesday, 5/20/97 Bruins collared by Bulldogs M. TENNIS:’War of
attrition’ finally wears down top-seeded team in semifinals
By Mark Shapiro Daily Bruin Staff The UCLA men’s tennis team
fell one step shy of its dream shot at the NCAA championship when
it lost to fourth-seeded University of Georgia, 4-2 in the
semifinals. The top-seeded Bruins, who finish the season with a
25-4 record, were one round away from a national championship
rematch against Stanford but instead, the Bulldogs will make their
first trip to the final since 1993. In a match where four singles
matches went three sets, this was a hard-fought war of attrition.
"It was kind of a war out there," Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz
said. "Every match was so close, we expected some close matches and
we got them." After losing the doubles point, the Bruins rallied
and jumped all over the Bulldogs, winning the first set in five of
six singles matches. After UCLA’s Vincent Allegre closed out Hisham
Hemeda in three sets at No. 4 singles and Kevin Kim dumped Steven
Baldas in two sets at second singles, the Bruins found themselves
leading 2-1. It was that moment that also signaled the beginning of
the end. In rapid succession, the Bulldogs reeled off two singles
victories. UCLA’s Matt Breen, after winning the first set, fell to
Kevin Sessions at No. 5 singles 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, squaring the match
at 2-2. UCLA’s hopes began to flicker when freshman Jason Cook lost
a 5-4 third set lead, eventually losing to Rafael Jordan, 1-6, 6-3,
7-5. "(Jordan) played well at the end but, bottom line, it should
never have gotten there," Cook said. "I was the better player,
that’s plain fact. It should have been a straight set victory."
With matches at No. 1 and 2 singles still in progress, it was 3-2,
Georgia. Eric Taino had a chance to close out his match at No. 1
singles but he faltered in a second set tiebreaker. As his match
with John Roddick moved into a third stanza, the sun set on the
Bruins’ season. The Bulldogs clinched the match and the
championship invitation when senior Eddie Jacques downed UCLA’s
Alex Decret 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Decret jumped out to a one-set lead with
some of his best tennis of the year. But as the match wore on,
Jacques’ ground game proved to be too much. "I felt a game where I
just relaxed and felt more comfortable on the baseline," Jacques
said. "Then I knew I had it in me. I just needed to find that
because (Decret) can hit some of the best shots." For the sixth
time in the ’90s, the Bruins lost in the semifinals of the NCAA
Tournament, but the disappointment has not yet set in. "I’m not
that disappointed," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said at the
post-match conference. JUSTIN WARREN /Daily Bruin Alex Decret and
Eric Taino (foreground) lost their doubles match to Georgia.
Decret’s loss in the singles led to UCLA losing the team
Championships.