Bruin trio beaten out of round of 16

Published: Monday, June 1, 1998

Monday, June 1, 1998

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.