UCLA
Stanford
No. 2 UCLA Men's Tennis Upsets Top-Ranked Stanford
April 22, 2000 | Men's Tennis
April 22, 2000
WESTWOOD, Calif. - In front of a season record-high crowd, the No. 2 UCLA men's tennis team crushed top-ranked Stanford's hopes of closing with a perfect regular-season record by posting an inspiring 5-2 upset over the Cardinal Saturday in a non-conference matchup at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. With the win, UCLA closes out the regular-season with a 21-3 overall record, while Stanford finishes at 22-1.
The Bruins were anxious to let the Cardinal know they were in dangerous territory, winning two of three doubles matches to claim the first point of the afternoon. First, the team of Jean-Noel Grinda and Jean-Julien Rojer quickly dispatched of Stanford's K.J. Hippensteel and David Martin on court No. 2, handing the No. 21 ranked team in the nation an 8-0 bagel. Stanford's Scotty Scott and Ali Ansari answered later with an 8-3 win over Lassi Ketola and Travis Rettenmaier on court No. 3, but UCLA held on for the doubles point. In a tremendous display of heart and talent, the fifth-ranked senior tandem of Jong-Min Lee and Brandon Kramer, who were fittingly playing in their last regular-season dual match at UCLA, upset the top-ranked doubles team in the nation, Alex Kim and Geoff Abrams. Down 4-1, Kramer and Lee retaliated, winning seven of the last eight games to grab a remarkable 8-5 win in the top position. The win marks Kramer and Lee's first victory over Kim and Abrams in their three meetings this season. Abrams and Kim, who won titles at the All-American Championships and the National Collegiate Tennis Classic, have been listed at No. 1 in the ITA rankings since December.
In singles action, UCLA took an early 2-0 lead after Rojer, ranked No. 87 in the nation, sailed to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Martin on court No. 4. Stanford then claimed its first point of the day when Abrams, ranked No. 12 nationally, defeated Kramer 6-4, 7-6(2) on court No. 2. In another exciting match that featured two top players who returned to the lineup this season after having sat out part of the year due to injuries, Grinda defeated Hippensteel on court No. 3 for the second time this season, this time by a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. With UCLA ahead 3-1, Lee went on to clinch the match with a thrilling 7-6(4), 6-4 upset over Kim, who is ranked third nationally. The win mark's Lee first over Kim in their three meetings this year.
Next week, UCLA will send individuals to compete in the Pac-10 Individual Championships, held annually in Ojai, California. The tournament begins on Thursday, April 27 and concludes on Sunday, April 30. Pairings for the 64-team NCAA Tournament will be announced on Thursday, May 4. UCLA will likely host the first and second rounds at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on May 12 and 13. The final four rounds of the NCAA Championships will be held in Athens, Georgia from May 20-24.
Doubles -- UCLA wins point No. 1 (5) Brandon Kramer / Jong-Min Lee (UCLA) def. (1) Alex Kim / Geoff Abrams (Stanford) 8-5 No. 2 Jean-Noel Grinda / Jean-Julien Rojer (UCLA) def. (21) K.J. Hippensteel / David Martin (Stanford) 8-0 No. 3 Ali Ansari / Scotty Scott (Stanford) def. Lassi Ketola / Travis Rettenmaier (UCLA) 8-3Singles No. 1 (36) Jong-Min Lee (UCLA) def. (3) Alex Kim (Stanford) 7-6(4), 6-4* No. 2 (12) Geoff Abrams (Stanford) def.(40) Brandon Kramer (UCLA) 6-4, 7-6(2) No. 3 Jean-Noel Grinda (UCLA) def. (13) K.J. Hippensteel (Stanford) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 No. 4 (87) Jean-Julien Rojer (UCLA) def. David Martin (Stanford) 6-2, 6-2 No. 5 (94) Scotty Scott (Stanford) def. Lassi Ketola (UCLA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 No. 6 Erfan Djahangiri (UCLA) def. Scott Lipsky (Stanford) 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
* Match clincher Final Team Score: UCLA 5, Stanford 2
