Monday, November 10, 1997
Two describes tennis teams’ performance in rankings
RECAP: Latest matches result in second-place start for new
season
By Stephanie Chan
Daily Bruin Contributor
Two unseeded players; two runner-up finishes. UCLA’s men’s
tennis team’s Vince Allegre and Jason Cook managed to pull off some
upsets in the latest collegiate tennis events.
Unseeded in the Reebok All-American Tournament held Oct. 11-19,
UCLA’s Vince Allegre pocketed an astounding 12 matches, moving
through the pre-qualifying, qualifying and main draw. After an
amazing climb, he finally fell to Stanford’s Bob Bryan in the
finals 2-6, 2-6.
The Rolex/ITA Southern California Men’s Tennis Regional (Oct.
29-Nov.2) was the next victim of UCLA’s underdog sting. Unranked
Jason Cook took down two seeded players, Pepperdine’s sixth-seeded
Robert Lindstedt and Arizona’s 16th-seeded Roland Kupka before
losing 4-6, 2-6 to USC’s 15th-seeded Kyle Spencer.
The brackets were shaken up on the other end for UCLA as well.
After sending four ranked players into the Rolex Regionals, Allegre
ranked second, Alex Decret third, Matt Breen fourth and newcomer
Jean-Noel Grinda fifth. Only Grinda advanced past the third round
and was eventually defeated in the fourth round by Pepperdine’s
10th-seeded Brad Sceney 4-6, 1-6.
The doubles arena was a whole different story for Grinda and
Allegre. The Grinda-Allegre tandem coming into the tournament
ranked seventh fell short of the championship in a 3-6, 2-6 loss to
Pepperdine’s No. 1-ranked team of Gullet-Lindstedt in the finals.
UCLA’s remaining teams, including sixth-seeded team Breen-Cook,
lost in the second round.
The team as a whole will start the season ranked second in the
nation after finishing last season ranked third nationally and
second regionally. With the loss of Eric Taino, Eric Lin, and Jason
Thompson, the Bruins will look to Decret, Kevin Kim, Breen, and
Allegre to carry the team. If the fall events are signs of things
to come, the the rankings will constantly be shifting this
year.
* * *
Two appears to be the lucky number for the UCLA women’s tennis
team as well this year. They will enter the season touting a No. 2
preseason rank.
Or two could be an unlucky number. In the toughest hardcourt
event of fall collegiate tennis, the Riviera All-American
Tournament, held Oct. 23-26, UCLA’s four singles player’s movement
was stunted before reaching round two. Seventh-ranked Amanda
Basica, Elizabeth Schmidt, Christina Popescu and Annica Cooper all
fell in straight set losses in the first round. Basica did come out
of the tournament with a victorious consolation round finish.
As a doubles team, Basica and Popescu were stopped by the
first-round barrier again with a loss to Tennessee’s fourth-ranked
team of Lepsi-Maleotra. UCLA’s other doubles team of Katia
Roubanova-Schmidt broke through the first round and were defeated
by eventual champions, Pepperdine’s unranked pair of
Lawrence-Csapo.