Monday, April 27, 1998
UCLA avoids clean-up with Cook
M. TENNIS: Team’s goal of curbing Stanford’s smug sweep
succeeds
By Stephanie Chan
Daily Bruin Contributor
Teams playing Stanford this year have realized that a successful
match against them doesn’t mean winning; it means avoiding the
sweep. The Cardinal almost swept all of the Pac-10 events at the
98th Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament, including the Pac-10
Championships in doubles and singles.
UCLA’s Jason Cook spoiled the show for Stanford, though.
Ruining a Cardinal sweep is nothing new for Cook. When Stanford
brought the brigade into Los Angeles, Cook produced the Bruins’
sole point by defeating Stanford’s Alex Kim.
That Cook victory was Kim’s only loss of the regular season. In
the championship game of the Pac-10 Invitational, Cook added the
"two" to the one-two punch, knocking out Kim for the championship
crown, 6-1, 6-1.
After a first round bye, Cook eliminated Stanford’s Charles
Hoeveler in the Round of 16, 6-4, 6-2. Cal’s David Sutton was
Cook’s next victim, losing in the quarterfinal round 6-4, 6-4. In
the semifinal match, Cook wasn’t the only player wearing Bruin blue
and gold on the court. On the other side of the net was teammate
Noah Newman. Newman took the first set 6-1, but Cook came back to
win the last two sets 7-5, 6-0.
The other Bruins in the Pac-10 Invitational bracket suffered
early losses. Washington’s Nick Quatrochi eliminated Chris Sands in
the first round, while Stanford’s Kim moved ahead of Kramer in the
Round of 16.
Stanford’s domination cannot be discounted. In three of the four
Pac-10 events in Ojai, the Stanford side weighed heavier on the
teeter-totter.
UCLA’s Vince Allegre and Alex Decret both lost to Stanford
players in the Pac-10 Championship bracket. Allegre stopped
Arizona’s Michel Stopa in the first round and USC’s Zaman Akram
before being beaten in the quarterfinals by Stanford’s Bob
Bryan.
The duo that earned the title of Pac-10 doubles champions seemed
destined to win from the beginning. Stanford’s twin team of Bob and
Mike Bryan never gave up a set en route to the doubles title. One
of the teams they faced on the road to victory was UCLA’s team of
Breen and Grinda. The Bryan brothers handled them in typical
fashion, a two-set win, 6-3, 6-2.
UCLA’s second doubles team of Decret and Kramer suffered a first
round loss; their loss became another Stanford victory. This time
the win belonged to the team of Goldstein and Wolters, 6-1,
7-6(2).
UCLA’s duo of Allegre and Cook hurdled over a Washington team,
an Arizona team and a Stanford team in the Pac-10 Invitational
Doubles draw to reach the finals. The last hurdle – Stanford’s
tandem of Geoff Abrams and Hoeveler. The match ended with an all
too familiar storyline. Stanford’s team beat UCLA 7-5, 7-5.
PATRICK LAM
UCLA’s Matt Breen competed in the Pac-10 Championships in
Ojai.