Monday, June 1, 1998
Bruin trio beaten out of round of 16
M. TENNIS: Grinda, Breen, Allegre finish with NCAA tournament
losses, but become All-Americans
By Stephanie Chan
Daily Bruin Contributor
All for one and one for all. Jean-Noel Grinda, Vince Allegre and
Matt Breen, the three Bruins competing in the NCAA Singles
Championships, went into the round of 16 together and exited it
together.
Allegre’s season and UCLA tennis career ended May 29 in the
third round.
Allegre, after passing through Davidson’s Jon Pastel and
upsetting Stanford’s Mike Bryan in earlier rounds met defeat on
Friday. No. 9-16 seeded Virginia Commonwealth’s Daniel Anderson
squeezed out Allegre after losing the first set 6-1. He recovered
to take the match and advance, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
His career did not end on a completely sour note. His NCAA
tournament success earned him All-American honors for the first
time.
Breen and Grinda also became All-Americans with their showings
at the NCAA tournament. But, like Allegre, they both tied the final
knot on their season in the round of 16.
Breen took his first and second-round matches in two straight
sets, but on Friday he was handed the two-set defeat. Fifth-seeded
Thomas Dupre of Mississippi State stole the quarterfinal spot from
him, 7-5, 6-2.
This marks Breen’s final season with UCLA, but he wrapped it up
with a blaze of glory. Breen ended his career with his best showing
in the NCAA tournament. He now prepares to join the ranks of
professional tennis.
Grinda faced all too familiar, yet unfamiliar No. 6 seeded
Stanford’s Bob Bryan. Familiar in that Bruin blue and gold has been
clashing with the Cardinal all year. Unfamiliar in that he has
never played Bob Bryan before. After a tiebreak first set, 7-6,
Bryan eliminated Grinda with a 6-2 second set.
Grinda, on the other extreme of his teammates, is just a
freshman. Though this is Grinda’s first year at UCLA, his poise has
carried him all the way to the NCAA Singles Championships.
And through the NCAA Doubles Championships as well. Breen and
Grinda teamed up to blaze their way through the first and second
rounds, but saw the stop sign at the third-round intersection.
After a second victory over Texas’ Nick Crowell and Paul Martinin
these NCAA Championships, South Alabama’s John James and Claes
Westlin put up the three-set defeat roadblock, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
The NCAA Individual Championships was a great season finale for
the UCLA team. In a season filled with the joys of victory and the
frustrations of defeat, the Bruins continued in the solid tradition
of UCLA tennis.
Senior Matt Breen and the rest of Bruins exited the NCAA Singles
Championships in the round of 16.