Friday, May 29, 1998
Racketeers win berth to third round
MTENNIS: Team exceeds hopes with single-handed upsets, doubles
success
By Stephanie Chan
Daily Bruin Contributor
The Bruins have met and broken expectations in the NCAA Singles
Championships. Three UCLA players – Jean-Noel Grinda, Vince Allegre
and Matt Breen – entered the tournament, and three remain. UCLA is
the only school with all of its entered players still remaining.
This has translated into major upsets on the part of UCLA.
Allegre knocked out No. 10-ranked and No. 8-seeded Stanford’s
Mike Bryan in second round action Thursday, 6-4, 6-2. Earlier this
season Allegre lost to Mike’s twin brother – Bob Bryan – twice and
lost to Mike just recently in the team championships, 7-5, 6-2.
This time it was Allegre who eliminated the Bryan brother and not
the other way around.
Breen also pulled off the upset defeating No. 9 and 16 seeded
Harvard’s James Blake, but perhaps "pulled off" isn’t the best of
terms. Breen dominated the second round match against Blake,
earning a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Grinda’s second-round opponent, South Carolina’s Guillaume
Legst, probably had an upset on his mind after taking the first
set, 6-2. Grinda, however, grabbed the next two sets, 6-2, 6-4, to
advance to the round of 16.
Of the 16 third round players, seven of them are from the
Pac-10. Grinda will be facing one of these players in the next
round: No. 6 seed Stanford’s Bob Bryan. In previous meetings
against Stanford, Grinda has never been matched with Bryan so this
will be their first meeting.
Allegre will play No. 9 and No. 16 seed Virginia Commonwealth
University’s Daniel Anderson. His first and second round victories
all came in three sets and included tiebreakers. He defeated
Baylor’s Johann Jooste, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-4, advancing to the round
of 16.
The next opponent on Breen’s agenda is No. 5 seed Mississippi
State’s Thomas Dupre. Breen has improved since his last NCAA
Singles Championships appearance. Last year, he suffered a
three-set first round loss to Kentucky’s Ludde Sundin.
The Bruins are finding success in the NCAA Doubles Championships
as well.
Breen and Grinda opened the tournament with a first round win
over Tulane’s Ronald Kloppert and Robert Samuelson, 7-5, 6-4. The
UCLA duo will face Texas’ Nick Crowell and Paul Martin for the
second time in the NCAA Championship scene.
In UCLA’s first round team victory over Texas, Breen and Grinda
defeated Crowell and Martin, 8-3.
PATRICK LAM
UCLA’s Jean-Noel Grinda looks to edge opponents out of the
NCAAs.