Gimelstob Returns to Action at the L.A. Tennis Center

After Justin Gimelstob beat Australia’s Patrick Rafter in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Mercedes-Benz Cup, he promptly declared that the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA was “his house.”

Gimelstob will have another chance to prove he is a worthy tenant when he begins play today against James Sekulov of Australia.

Gimelstob is in tonight’s featured match. Play begins at 11:30 a.m. with matches featuring Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe against Ronald Agenor of Haiti, followed by Marcos Ondruska of South Africa against No. 8 seed Arnaud Clement of France and No. 7 seed Wayne Ferreira of South Africa against Anthony Dupuis of France.

Sunday, Chris Woodruff (hamstring) joined the list of players sidelined because injuries.

Gimelstob, 23, a New Jersey native and a former national junior champion, played one year at UCLA before turning pro in 1996.

If Gimelstob advances, he’ll play the winner of the match between Vince Spadea and No. 2 seed Mark Philippoussis of Australia that has not been scheduled.

Organizers have not finished scheduling the week’s matches. Some accommodations had to be made for players in the U.S versus Spain Davis Cup semifinals, such as Spadea and Jan-Michael Gambill.

Celebrities Dennis Miller and Dustin Hoffman headline today’s “‘A Night At The Net” charity event featuring a pro-celebrity doubles match with Michael Chang, Marcelo Rios of Chile and Philippoussis at 7:30.

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The Facts

* What: Mercedes-Benz Cup.

* Where: UCLA Los Angeles Tennis Center.

* When: Today through Sunday.

* Tickets: All Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone, call (310) 825-2101.