By Pauline Vu

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

After the celebrity-pro charity “Night at the Net” match Monday night, the bulk of the crowd left, leaving just a fraction to witness the ensuing match between Swedish No. 7 seed Magnus Norman and American Cecil Mamiit.

The majority of those on hand, however, were solidly behind the L.A.-born, L.A.-raised and USC-educated Mamiit. But it didn’t help his game in the end. Though he put up a good fight in the first set, Mamiit fell 6-4, 6-2.

The two players broke each other five times in the first set. Down 4-3, Mamiit broke Norman a second time to tie the score, but Norman returned the favor, breaking Mamiit a third time to take the lead 5-4. He won his last serve as well to take the set 6-4.

It wasn’t an easy match, though. For his fourth point Norman had to play through three deuces. He took and lost the advantage twice before gaining it for good.

For the first half of the second set Mamiit looked lackluster and made several errors. Norman broke him twice and stormed out to a 5-1 lead.

And Mamiit knew just how badly he was playing. After sending a forehand into the net to give Norman his third point, he fell to his knees and covered his head.

Be he didn’t go quietly after that. Though he hit the ball into the net twice to trail 30-0, a crosscourt forehand, a Norman error and an ace (as well as his own error) brought the game to deuce, and from there Mamiit took the point to make the set 5-2.

He fought hard on the next point as well, and was ahead 40-15 but made two errors for deuce. Mamiit sent a shot behind Norman for the advantage, but Norman had two tough serves that Mamiit couldn’t return to take the set and match.

Throughout the match cries of, “C’mon, ‘Cec’!”could be heard, while the loudest claps were saved for Mamiit’s heroics.

In other Mercedes-Benz Monday first-round action:

DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Michael Chang, last year's Mercedes Benz Cup champion, eyes his opponent, Noam Behr, before defeating him 6-2, 7-5.