Wednesday, March 14
Los Angeles, CA
2:00 PM
USC
5
vs
2
Texas
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Photo by: John McGillen
No. 11 Trojans Top No. 10 Texas 5-2
March 14, 2018 | Men's Tennis, Features
Riley Smith snags his first singles win of the year to clinch it for USC.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — The USC men's tennis team secured its third win over a top-10 opponent with a solid 5-2 victory over No. 10 Texas today at Marks Stadium. Playing singles for just the third time this season, sophomore Riley Smith came through with the clincher with a three-set victory on court five. He and doubles partner Brandon Holt had earlier claimed their eighth doubles win of the year with an upset over Texas' No. 3-ranked pair to help USC get a 1-0 advantage in this one. The winning tone had been set on court two, however, with USC's Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven combining forces for their 20th doubles win together to get the Trojans on a winning course. Jaede and Verboven would go on to collect singles wins as well to help USC improve to 11-4 overall on the year.
The #52 ranked team in the nation, Jaede and Verboven drummed up a decisive 6-1 win on court two over Texas' Ortiz/Sigsgaard. Tight doubles battles were raging on courts one and two, but it was USC's #26 Holt and Riley Smith who bought themselves some breathing room with a break before Smith held to get a 6-4 win in the books and send USC on to singles play with a 1-0 lead over the Longhorns' #3 Banzer/Telles, as play was suspended on court three with Mateusz Smolicki and Tanner Smith on serve with Texas' Ito/Marks.
In singles play, Laurens Verboven would be the last player to finish his first set, but he'd be the first to finish his match. The junior took a tiebreak win in the first set and followed that with a forceful push in the second to win it 7-6 (4), 6-1 over Texas' #60 Harrison Scott on court three, making it 2-0 Trojans. The other five matches would all extend into third sets. Verboven's doubles teammate Jack Jaede had surrendered the second set but also made a power move down the stretch to tally a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over #70 Leonardo Telles on court four to tug the Trojans to a 3-0 lead. Just moments later, Riley Smith came through with the clincher, knocking out a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Rodrigo Banzer at the No. 5 spot to secure victory for the Trojans in just his third appearance in singles this season. The match would play on, prompting a banged-up Daniel Cukierman to retire from his match on court two after pushing to a third set vs. Christian Sigsgaard, bowing out to give Texas its first point with Sigsgaard leading 6-2, 5-7, 5-0. On court six, Texas made it 4-2 with Adrian Ortiz' 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 comeback over USC's Jake DeVine just before #12 Brandon Holt wrapped things up on court one. He'd recover from a second-set slip to beat #46 Yuya Ito 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to end the day as a 5-2 USC victory.
The Trojans now set up for a visit to the site of the coming 2018 NCAA Championships, taking on No. 1 Wake Forest on its home courts in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday (March 18).
#11 USC 5, #10 Texas 2
March 14, 2018 | Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
DOUBLES
(1) #26 Holt/R. Smith (USC) def. #3 Banzer/Telles (UT) - 6-4
(2) #52 Jaede/Verboven (USC) def. Ortiz/Sigsgaard (UT) - 6-1
(3) Smolicki/T. Smith (USC) vs. Ito/Markes (UT) - 4-5 susp.
USC wins doubles point.
Order of finish: 2, 1
SINGLES
(1) #12 Brandon Holt (USC) def. #46 Yuya Ito (UT) - 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
(2) Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. #64 Daniel Cukierman (USC) - 6-3, 5-7, 5-0 ret.
(3) Laurens Verboven (USC) def. #60 Harrison Scott (UT) - 7-6 (4), 6-1
(4) Jack Jaede (USC) def. #70 Leonardo Telles (UT) - 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
(5) Riley Smith (USC) def. Rodrigo Banzer (UT) - 6-3, 1-6, 6-3*
(6) Adrian Ortiz (UT) def. Jake DeVine (USC) - 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 4, 5*, 2, 6, 1
The #52 ranked team in the nation, Jaede and Verboven drummed up a decisive 6-1 win on court two over Texas' Ortiz/Sigsgaard. Tight doubles battles were raging on courts one and two, but it was USC's #26 Holt and Riley Smith who bought themselves some breathing room with a break before Smith held to get a 6-4 win in the books and send USC on to singles play with a 1-0 lead over the Longhorns' #3 Banzer/Telles, as play was suspended on court three with Mateusz Smolicki and Tanner Smith on serve with Texas' Ito/Marks.
In singles play, Laurens Verboven would be the last player to finish his first set, but he'd be the first to finish his match. The junior took a tiebreak win in the first set and followed that with a forceful push in the second to win it 7-6 (4), 6-1 over Texas' #60 Harrison Scott on court three, making it 2-0 Trojans. The other five matches would all extend into third sets. Verboven's doubles teammate Jack Jaede had surrendered the second set but also made a power move down the stretch to tally a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over #70 Leonardo Telles on court four to tug the Trojans to a 3-0 lead. Just moments later, Riley Smith came through with the clincher, knocking out a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Rodrigo Banzer at the No. 5 spot to secure victory for the Trojans in just his third appearance in singles this season. The match would play on, prompting a banged-up Daniel Cukierman to retire from his match on court two after pushing to a third set vs. Christian Sigsgaard, bowing out to give Texas its first point with Sigsgaard leading 6-2, 5-7, 5-0. On court six, Texas made it 4-2 with Adrian Ortiz' 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 comeback over USC's Jake DeVine just before #12 Brandon Holt wrapped things up on court one. He'd recover from a second-set slip to beat #46 Yuya Ito 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to end the day as a 5-2 USC victory.
The Trojans now set up for a visit to the site of the coming 2018 NCAA Championships, taking on No. 1 Wake Forest on its home courts in Winston-Salem, N.C., at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday (March 18).
#11 USC 5, #10 Texas 2
March 14, 2018 | Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
DOUBLES
(1) #26 Holt/R. Smith (USC) def. #3 Banzer/Telles (UT) - 6-4
(2) #52 Jaede/Verboven (USC) def. Ortiz/Sigsgaard (UT) - 6-1
(3) Smolicki/T. Smith (USC) vs. Ito/Markes (UT) - 4-5 susp.
USC wins doubles point.
Order of finish: 2, 1
SINGLES
(1) #12 Brandon Holt (USC) def. #46 Yuya Ito (UT) - 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
(2) Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. #64 Daniel Cukierman (USC) - 6-3, 5-7, 5-0 ret.
(3) Laurens Verboven (USC) def. #60 Harrison Scott (UT) - 7-6 (4), 6-1
(4) Jack Jaede (USC) def. #70 Leonardo Telles (UT) - 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
(5) Riley Smith (USC) def. Rodrigo Banzer (UT) - 6-3, 1-6, 6-3*
(6) Adrian Ortiz (UT) def. Jake DeVine (USC) - 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 4, 5*, 2, 6, 1
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