UCLA
Georgia
Men's Tennis Falls to Georgia 4-3 in NCAA Final
June 21, 1999 | Men's Tennis
May 26, 1999
ATHENS, GA - The No. 1 UCLA Bruins lost a tough one today, falling to the No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs 4-3 in the final match of the 1999 NCAA Mens Tennis Championships. The Bruins end their season with a 26-3 mark, while the Bulldogs end with a 26-5 mark.
Just like yesterdays match against LSU, the Bruins battled back after dropping the doubles point to start off strong in singles. UCLA won the first set on all but one court and took two matches in straight sets. But the Bruins couldnt close out the Bulldogs, falling on court Nos. 3, 4 and 6.
Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the match after earning the doubles point behind Bulldog wins on court Nos. 1 and 2. Hisham Hemeda and Adam Seri defeated UCLAs No. 6 Jean-Noel Grinda and Jong-Min Lee 8-6 on court No. 1. Marcin Rozpedski and Chris Sands of UCLA came back from a deficit on court No. 3 to lead 7-6 over Georgias No. 40 Chad Carlson and Talito Corrales when their match was suspended. The No. 7 team of Jason Cook and Brandon Kramer of UCLA could not hold off Georgias Michael Lang and Travis Parrott, losing 8-6 on court No. 2.
The Bruins came out in singles play on fire, winning the first set on all but one court. No.100(t) Brandon Kramer of UCLA finished first and recorded his fourth win of the tournament, defeating No.95 Adam Seri 6-2, 7-5. UCLA took the lead in the match behind the outstanding play of freshman Zack Fleishman who defeated Talito Corrales 6-3, 6-3. The Bulldogs evened the score at two after No. 24 Chad Carlson defeated UCLAs No. 81 Jason Cook 6-4, 7-6(3).The Bruins came within one point of the title when No. 7 Jean-Noel Grinda of UCLA held off No. 8 Hisham Hemeda to win 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 on court No. 1. The final point needed for UCLA came down to either court Nos. 4 and 6, but with the home crowd cheering in the background, the Bulldogs were able to come back in the third set on both courts. UCLAs Marcin Rozpedski had a chance to take it, leading 5-2 in the second, but was not able to close out Michael Lang of Georgia. Lang battled back to win 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 on court No. 6 to equalize the score at three. It came down to court No. 4, and, while UCLAs Jong-Min Lee started a comeback in the third, it was not enough, falling 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 to Joey Pitts.
UCLA ends the season with its best mark (26-3) since 1996 and the second best record since 1986. The Bruins return all but senior Jason Cook next season and will look to contend for the title in 2000.
Here are todays position-by-position results:
Doubles #1 H. Hemeda/A. Seri (UG) def. (6) J. Grinda/J. Lee (UCLA) 8-6 #2 M. Lang/T. Parrott (UG) def. (7) J. Cook/B. Kramer (UCLA) 8-6 #3 M. Rozpedski/C. Sands (UCLA) vs. No. 40 C. Carlson/T. Corrales (UG) Suspended Singles #1 (7) Jean-Noel Grinda (UCLA) def. Hisham Hemeda (UG) 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 #2 Zack Fleishman (UCLA) def. Talito Corrales (UG) 6-3, 6-3 #3 (24) Chad Carlson (UG) def. (81) Jason Cook (UCLA) 6-4, 7-6(3) #4 Joey Pitts (UG) def. Jong-Min Lee (UCLA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 #5 (t100) Brandon Kramer (UCLA) def. (95) Adam Seri (UG) 6-2, 7-5 #6 Michael Lang (UG) def. Marcin Rozpedski (UCLA) 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-2Final Team Score: Georgia 4, UCLA 3
