Two highly regarded U.S. prospects, Bob and Mike Bryan, were
absent from the field in Paris. The Bryans, 20-year-old twins
and sophomores at Stanford, were in Athens, Ga., helping the
Cardinal win the NCAA men's team title for the fourth straight
year. Both Bryans are 6'3" and have potent serves and strong
all-court games. Bob, a lefty, ended the season as the No.
1-ranked collegian; Mike, a righty, was ranked as high as second
and ended up No. 7.
But it's as a doubles team that the Bryans are likely to make a
mark as pros. Already seen as the U.S. Davis Cup tandem of the
future, they have played together in three U.S. Opens. At
Stanford they were unbeaten in dual matches this year, and on
Sunday they won the NCAA doubles title in the individual
tournament. "Bob and I always seem to know what the other one is
going to do on the court," says Mike, who is two minutes older.
"We're best friends, we're roommates, and we'll keep playing
together when we turn pro."
The Bryans helped Stanford to the most dominating season in
college tennis history. The Cardinal, which has won the NCAA
title 16 times since 1973, was 28-0 in dual matches and beat
foes by a cumulative 167-3 in individual matches. "Without a
doubt, this is the best team I've ever had," says coach Dick
Gould, whose 1978 squad also went undefeated and featured a fair
No. 1 player named John McEnroe.
Issue date: June 8, 1998
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