Friday, February 15
Chicago, IL
4:30 PM
USC
4
vs
3
Florida
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
Holt Comes Up Clutch With Clincher To Beat No. 4 Florida 4-3
February 15, 2019 | Men's Tennis, Features
Trojans top the Gators in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago.
CHICAGO, ILL. — The No. 5 USC men's tennis team pulled out an impressive 4-3 win over No. 4 Florida to open up the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, with Brandon Holt coming through in the clutch with a third-set tiebreaker to lift the Trojans to victory in Chicago. USC pulled out a tight doubles point and got a quick straight-set win from Laurens Verboven in singles before the rest of the matches stretched to three-setters. Florida claimed three singles wins to move ahead 3-2, but USC saw Daniel Cukierman strike back to set up Holt's nail-biting clincher. USC improves to 6-3 overall with the win and moves into tomorrow's quarterfinal round against Texas.
Doubles play saw USC's top guns Brandon Holt and Riley Smith sprint to a 6-1 win that got the Trojans an important early lift. Their win on court one over Kessler/Vale would be followed by an answering shot from the Gators on court two, where Ingildsen/Perez topped Trojans Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven 6-4. That brought it down to court three, where USC's #21 Daniel Cukierman and Tanner Smith proved up to the challenge. The Trojan pair took out Florida's Crawford/Riffice 6-4 to pocket the opening point for USC.
In singles, USC snagged the first sets on four courts to turn up the pressure on the Gators. On court five, USC freshman Mor Bulis turned the tables quickly on his Florida foe, answering a first-set loss with a 6-0 sweep in the second to force a third set. Meanwhile, senior #31 Laurens Verboven was edging his way toward the finish line on court three. He'd close out a 6-4, 6-3 win over Florida's #27 Andy Andrade to tug the Trojans to a 2-0 lead. Florida would get on the board when Bulis' bid to push to a three-set win fell short on court five. Florida's Alfredo Perez shrugged off that 0-6 loss in the second set and managed a 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 win over Bulis to make it 2-1. Florida would make a move into the lead with wins on courts six and four next. McClain Kessler notched a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over USC freshman Jake Sands on court six to level it at 2-2, and then #46 Johannes Ingildsen pushed past Riley Smith for a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win that got Florida up 3-2. At the No. 2 spot, USC's #4 Daniel Cukierman got it even again with a crucial 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory over #67 Sam Riffice to put the decider on court one. There, USC's #56 Brandon Holt was in a heated third set with #20 Oliver Crawford, stretching into a tiebreaker to decide the clincher. Holt was undeterred by Crawford's quick jump to a 2-0 advantage in the breaker, reeling off five straight points to power into the lead and then close out the clincher with a final 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3) comeback that locked up a 4-3 win for the Trojans.
No. 13 seed USC now moves into the ITA National Indoors quarterfinals against No. 5 seeded Texas tomorrow (Feb. 16) at 6:30 p.m. CT in Chicago.
ITA NATIONAL TEAM INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (Chicago, Ill.)
FIRST ROUND
#5 USC 4, #4 Florida 3
Feb. 15, 2019 | Chicago, Ill.
DOUBLES
(1) Holt/R. Smith (USC) def. Kessler/Vale (UF) - 6-1
(2) Ingildsen/Perez (UF) def. Jaede/Verboven (USC) - 6-4
(3) #21 Cukierman/T. Smith (USC) def. #35 Crawford/Riffice (UF) - 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
USC wins doubles point.
SINGLES
(1) #56 Brandon Holt (USC) def. #20 Oliver Crawford (UF) - 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3)*
(2) #4 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. #67 Sam Riffice (UF) - 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
(3) #31 Laurens Verboven (USC) def. #27 Andy Andrade (UF) - 6-4, 6-3
(4) #46 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Riley Smith (USC) - 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
(5) Alfredo Perez (UF) def. Mor Bulis (USC) - 6-4, 0-6, 7-5
(6) McClain Kessler (UF) def. Jake Sands (USC) - 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 5, 6, 4, 2, 1*
USC Men's Tennis' Matteo Morazzi: Trojans Live 4.07.25
Monday, April 07
USC men's tennis wins Pac-12 Tournament title (4/29/23)
Sunday, April 30
