Former Bruin Falls at Farmers Classic

Daniel Kosakowski took a gigantic step up in competition when he met Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the second round of the Farmers Classic on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Facing a real professional ranked 84th in the world, the former UCLA player knew he needed to play his best tennis to advance, but he fell behind early and saw his magical run through qualifying and into the main draw end in a 6-2, 6-4 defeat. 

"I've had a great week," Kosakowski said about his run through the qualifying and into the main draw. "It was a breakthrough for me and I hope that I get a lot of confidence from this and have a great rest of the summer and rest of the year."

Gulbis took a 5-1 lead in the first set, broke Kosakowski early in the second set, and served eight aces to stay in front of the determined ex-Bruin, who will try his luck on the pro tour instead of returning for his sophomore year in Westwood.

The loss came one day after Kosakowski had won his first ATP Tour match ever with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over fellow qualifier Denis Kudla. Kosakowski played No. 1 singles as a freshman for the Bruins last fall. 

The upset of the day was delivered by 76th-ranked Yen Hsu-Lu of Taipei, who shocked third-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in straight sets.

Baghdatis, ranked 25th, was playing his first match since Wimbledon and the rust showed. Lu plays 19-year-old American Ryan Harrison in the quarterfinals.

2011 FARMERS CLASSIC AT UCLA

Wednesday's Singles Results

Round of 16

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. Daniel Kosakowski (USA), 6-2, 6-4

Ryan Harrison (USA) d. Michael Russell (USA), 6-3, 6-4

Yen Hsu-Lu (TPE) d. (3) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP), 6-3, 6-4

(2) Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) d. James Blake (USA), 6-4, 7-6 (3)

Click here to view the singles and doubles draws.