After day one, it’s certain that a Bruin will not be the
Pac-10 men’s tennis singles champion. Without Luben Pampoulov
(ranked No. 6) or Benjamin Kohlloeffel (No. 8) participating in the
Pac-10 Championships, which are being held through Sunday at Libbey
Park in Ojai, UCLA was less than impressive. Senior Chris Lam was
knocked out in the first round of the 32-man tournament, losing to
Cal’s Lennart Maack 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. The other three Bruins
participating in the Pac-10 main draw progressed to the second
round, but none were able to advance to the quarterfinals. Senior
Alberto Francis scored a first-round win over Arizona State’s
Jonathan Kinsella before losing to Washington’s Alex Vlaski,
ranked No. 10, in straight sets. Senior Kris Kwinta lost in
straight sets to Washington’s Alex Slovic after posting a
straight-set victory in the first round. Sophomore Philipp
Gruendler had perhaps the most impressive showing of any Bruin,
taking Cal’s Conor Niland, ranked No. 9, to a third set
before losing, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Freshman Mathieu Dehaine advanced to
the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Invitational bracket with a
three-set win over Huskie Chris Floyd. The doubles portion of the
Pac-10 Championships begins today. The pairings of Francis and
Kwinta and Kohlloeffel and Gruendler will be representing UCLA.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: The UCLA women’s
tennis team headed up to Ojai for the Pac-10 Championships with one
goal in mind: to stay sharp for the NCAA Tournament. The team had
mixed results in the first round of singles competition, with three
players eliminated and three moving on to the second round. But not
a single Bruin was able to advance to the third round. The Pac-10
main singles draw featured Bruins Laura Gordon, Alex McGoodwin and
Tracy Lin. Although Gordon was eliminated in her first match, Lin
and McGoodwin both advanced to the second round before getting
knocked out. UCLA was also represented by players not usually in
coach Stella Sampras-Webster’s normal rotation. With Daniela
Bercek and Riza Zalameda resting for the upcoming NCAA’s,
senior Anya Loncaric and sophomore Amber Ray, along with Elizabeth
Lumpkin played in the Pac-10 Invitational. Lumpkin was the only
Bruin in the draw to make it to the second round before being
defeated by Cal’s Tiffany Lee.
Compiled by David Regan and Christopher Gee, Bruin Sports
senior staff.