Players Caught in Net Profits : Tennis: Top-ranked USC forfeits match against UCLA when Trojans lose four players over eligibility issue.

A problem that began last February in Louisville, Ky., has made its way to the West Coast, costing top-ranked USC a tennis match against UCLA.

The Trojans (16-2) defaulted Friday when four of their players were declared ineligible for accepting expense money beyond that allowed by the NCAA while competing in summer professional tournaments.

Wayne Black, Jon Leach, Lukas Hovorka and Brett Hansen were declared ineligible by the school. All will petition the NCAA for reinstatement.

Two UCLA players, Robert Janecek and Sebastien LeBlanc, also were declared ineligible, but the Bruins, who lost to USC, 6-1, earlier in the season, had enough players to compete and accepted the default.

A third Bruin, Eric Taino, had been declared ineligible and was reinstated before Friday.

The situation has occurred over an interpretation of an NCAA rule that precludes payment of expense money on the basis of advancement in a professional tournament. Many of the top college players compete in professional satellite tournaments during the summer and receive expenses.

“This is an ambiguous rule and not many realize it’s there,” USC Coach Dick Leach said. “All of our players were under the assumption that the NCAA rule followed the U.S. Tennis Assn. amateur rule.”

The USTA allows acceptance of expense money for travel, lodging and meals, as long as there are receipts for proof, Leach said.

The logic behind the USTA rule is that as a player advances in a tournament, more expenses are incurred.

The NCAA rule is interpreted as meaning that expenses paid to players can be no more than the tournament minimum payout, or that for a first-round loss.

Although the rule is longstanding, the latest interpretation surfaced when the University of Miami was targeted during the National Collegiate Indoor tournament in Louisville in February, UCLA Coach Billy Martin said.

Miami compliance officer Craig Angelo investigated, found two Hurricane players ineligible and informed the NCAA that the problem was widespread.

“In my personal opinion, 60-70% of the top college players will be included,” Martin said.

Mississippi State’s Laurent Orsini, ranked No. 1 in the nation, sat out several recent matches until his eligibility was restored Thursday.

“By the time it’s over, four or five (Pac-10) schools will be involved, both men and women,” said David Price, the Pacific 10 Conference associate commissioner. “The schools are fact-finding now.”

Restoration of eligibility seems a formality.

“Based upon information we’ve received from the NCAA, we expect the players will be held out no more than two matches,” Noel Ragsdale, USC’s faculty athletic representative, said in a statement.