Wednesday, 5/21/97 UCLA hopes for greater success in singles,
doubles events All not yet lost for Bruins trying for duo,
individual championships
By Mark Shapiro Daily Bruin Staff Now that the UCLA men’s tennis
team has fallen short of the NCAA men’s tennis team championship,
the team members will go their separate ways trying to find succor
in the individual events, beginning today. In the singles
competition, four Bruins have qualified for the main draw, while
two of UCLA’s doubles teams will do battle for the doubles
championship. Senior Eric Taino, who is seeded No. 3, will bear the
standard for UCLA in the singles competition, with his 22-5 overall
record and No. 11 ranking in the nation. He will be pitted against
John James of South Alabama in an 11:30 a.m. match. In the team
competition, Taino posted wins against Northwestern and Duke, and
his match with Georgia’s John Roddick, was not completed. Taino
will be joined by junior Alex Decret, freshman Kevin Kim and junior
Matt Breen. Decret will open the singles competition with a match
against Matthieu Ballay of Mississippi. Decret finished the season
with a 16-10 overall record. He had his struggles in the team
competition, however, posting two no-decisions and one loss. Kevin
Kim, who rose to the No. 34 ranking in the nation his freshman year
with a 20-5 overall record, will play Alberto Brause of Duke at 11
a.m. Breen will open with a 4 p.m. match against Ludde Sundin of
Kentucky. All matches will be played at the Los Angeles Tennis
Center. The foursome will be looking to break a 22-year individual
title drought for UCLA. The last Bruin to win the NCAA singles
championship was current UCLA head coach Billy Martin, who won in
1975. Overall, the Bruins have had nine singles champions. In the
doubles competition, the duo of Kim and senior Eric Lin will lead
the way for the Bruins. The team rose to the No. 2 ranking in the
nation and is seeded 9-16 in the tournament. The duo is set to face
Roddick and Kevin Sessions of Georgia in the first round. Joining
Lin and Kim in doubles competition will be the team of Taino and
Decret, who will be matched up against the Bulldog team of Steven
Baldas and Rafael Jordan. The pairing of Decret and Taino, which
was formed midway through the season, posted a 9-2 overall record
on the year at No. 2 doubles for the Bruins. The Bruins’ history in
doubles has been a bit more bright, as these two teams will be
looking to defend the championship claimed last year by Justin
Gimelstob and Srdjan Muskatirovic. That title is the most recent of
the 11 doubles titles won by the Bruins. JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
The Bruins’ Eric Taino hopes to keep his eye on the ball during
upcoming singles and doubles play in the NCAA tournament. Previous
Daily Bruin stories: Bruin tennis still waiting to meet their match
May 19, 1997 Bruins collared by Bulldogs May 20, 1997