Bruins Are Victorious While Trojans Fall

UCLA had little trouble getting past Texas, posting a 4-0 victory Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA men’s tennis championships at the University of Georgia.

USC was less fortunate, falling to Florida, 4-1.

The Bruins (24-3) were particularly strong in singles, winning the first set in all but the No. 5 position. That match was suspended after Lassi Ketola defeated Craig Edmondson, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in the No. 4 match to clinch the victory.

“We were lucky to win at No. 4 or the match would have been a lot different,” Bruin Coach Billy Martin said. “This was a real close match. The score was deceiving.”

UCLA won the point awarded for doubles play with victories over Texas (20-7) by Chris Sands and Jong-Min Lee, and Jean-Noel Grinda and Jean-Julien Rojer. The Bruins will play Tennessee in today’s quarterfinals.

Ryan Moore posted the Trojans’ only victory, defeating Nathan Overholser, 6-2, 6-3. USC finished the season 18-9.

Florida (27-3) will face fifth-seeded Duke.

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The Stanford women, favored to win the NCAA Division I title, posted a 5-0 semifinal victory over California at Pepperdine.

The defending champion Cardinal, which has won 10 national championships since women’s tennis went to Division I in 1982, won its three matches by a combined score of 15-1, and it beat the fifth-ranked Golden Bears (21-7) four times this season.

The only blip for Stanford was a 7-6 (7-3) first-set loss by top-ranked Marissa Irvin at No. 1 singles. Irvin, a Santa Monica High product who is expected to turn pro after next week’s individual tournament, won the next two sets against Cal’s Anita Kurimay, 6-1, 6-1.

Stanford (30-0) will play second-ranked Georgia (26-2), which advanced to its second final with a 5-2 win over Southeastern Conference rival Florida. The Bulldogs, who won the national title in 1994, played the Cardinal at the USTA National Indoor tournament in February and lost, 4-3.