Kim Wants Spot in UCLA Field

If Mercedes-Benz Cup director Bob Kramer is looking for a hot young prospect to fill out his field at UCLA next week, Kevin Kim would like to throw his name into the hat.

Until a few weeks ago, Kim wasn’t sure he belonged in a field with Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Tim Henman and Andre Agassi. But Kim, who won two Southern Section team titles at Sunny Hills High, is beginning to believe in himself for the first time since he was one of the nation’s top juniors three years ago.

“Things are starting to come together,” Kim said Tuesday from Winnetka, Ill., where he is playing a Challenger. “I’m getting more confidence and I’m adjusting to the game I want to play.” Challenger tournaments are lower-level events on the ATP Tour.

Kramer already has given Newport Beach 18-year-old Taylor Dent one of three wild-card berths for the main draw, which begins Monday at UCLA Tennis Center. Publicity director Toby Zwikel said Kramer is leaning toward giving the other two wild cards to up-and-coming local players.

Kim has received wild cards into Challenger events before, including last week in Aptos, but never into an ATP Tour event.

“Taylor Dent’s been getting wild cards everywhere,” Kim said. “I went to UCLA. I grew up in L.A. and I’ve never gotten one yet.”

But Kim, who turned pro two years ago after his freshman year at UCLA, said there is a downside to wild cards or free passes into tournaments.

“It’s been a little disappointing I haven’t had more wild cards, but it’s been good to play these qualifiers,” he said. “I think too many wild cards won’t help a player. If you keep losing in the first round after getting wild cards, that will destroy your confidence. The qualifiers are tough matches and you learn a lot from playing them.”

This week in the finals of qualifying at Winnetka, Kim learned that he could beat one of the top young Americans, Rudy Rake, who is also a former national junior champion, and that he could overcome adversity. Kim beat Rake, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.

“I’m focusing on the court better, fighting my way through matches and making adjustments,” Kim said. “I’m putting points together, not just going out there and swinging away.”

In the first round of the main draw Monday, Kim lost the first set to Steve Campbell, a former top-50 player, then recovered to win in three sets.

Kim’s singles ranking is 322--an all-time high and it could jump into the 200s with a victory tonight. His doubles ranking is also climbing. It’s at 330 after a title in early July at Granby, Canada, with Yohny Romero of Venezuela.

He’s a long way from where he was a few weeks ago after a devastating three-set loss in the first round of singles in Granby. “I was really down,” Kim said. “I had a lot of doubts.”

What a difference a few weeks makes.

“It’s just sort of happened,” Kim said. “It could change tomorrow. Hopefully, it won’t.”

DENT MAKING A MOVE

Dent had an chance to get a huge confidence and rankings boost last week at the $50,000 Aptos Challenger. Dent was playing former French Open champion Michael Chang in the second round of the Aptos Challenger. Dent didn’t take advantage of his big opportunity, losing to Chang, 6-2, 6-2, in just over an hour.

But Dent might get a second chance at Chang next week in the Mercedes-Benz Cup, where he has been given a wild-card into the main draw. Chang, along with Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Tim Henman and Andre Agassi, is also in the field.

EXED OUT

Former Woodbridge High player Chase Exon, who will be a sophomore at Pepperdine this final, reached the semifinals of the pre-qualifying tournament for next week’s Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA. Exon fell to Dejan Djokic of Rancho Santa Margarita, 6-2, 6-4, on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.