Trojan men’s tennis sweeps UC Irvine

Moderate showers made for a short but sweet day at work for the USC men’s tennis team Saturday, as the top-ranked Trojans swept the UC Irvine Anteaters 7-0.

The Trojans were also set to face the San Diego State Aztecs in the second match of day, but the match was postponed due to rainy weather.

Rain poured down on Marks Stadium, but not before the defending NCAA champions cleaned house in the singles round of the match — the Trojans took all six points in singles without dropping a set.

No. 8-ranked senior Jonny Wang opened the day with a win over the Anteaters’ Tyler Pham 6-2, 6-0. Next, senior Eric Johnson logged an immaculate match against Irvine’s Shuhei Shibahara, defeating Shibahara 6-0, 6-0 to put the Trojans up 2-0. Sophomore Connor Farren then dispatched Anteater Justin Agbayani 6-1, 6-1, pushing the Trojans’ lead to three.

Junior Max de Vroome and senior Yannick Hanfmann, ranked No. 104 and No. 3 in the nation respectively, followed suit with victories over Anteaters Rafael Davidian and Nico Mertens. De Vroome topped Davidian, and Hanfmann defeated Mertens by scores of 6-2, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-3. No. 58-ranked sophomore Nick Crystal closed things out with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jonathan Hammel to put the Trojans up 6-0.

Head coach Peter Smith shared concern over his team’s footwork earlier in the season, but has been happy with the improvement in terms of fitness and footwork since then.

“We’re in much better shape; we’re much more match-tough, and all those things add up to being comfortable,” Smith said. “When you’re uncomfortable, your footwork goes. When you’re a little out of shape, your footwork goes. We’re looking much more comfortable and really ready to play.”

As the drizzle began during doubles play, the Trojans wasted no time in completing the sweep. Wang and sophomore Rob Bellamy defeated Mertens and Shibahara 6-0. The tandem of Crystal and Farren took down Pham and Hammel 6-2 to win the doubles point and clinch the Trojans’ 7-0 victory. Senior Roberto Quiroz and freshman Tanner Smith were narrowly trailing Agbayani and Jonathan Poon 5-6 before the match was suspended as a result of the rain.

“I’m proud of all my teammates’ effort,” Quiroz said. “We’ve been training really hard, we’ve been taking care of our bodies really well. Those little things that you have to take care of — we’re doing them very well, so I think that’s our key and that’s why we’re succeeding that much this early in the season.”

With the victory, the Trojans move to 6-0 overall on the season and continue to gain early-season momentum in the quest to defend their NCAA title. Though the May NCAA playoffs remain far off, the reigning champions have gone undefeated in convincing fashion — through six games, the Trojans have defeated their opponents by a combined-points margin of    30-3.

Quiroz emphasized how he and his team are taking none of the early-season competitions for granted.

“It’s funny, all my career I focused on the end of the season, but now that it’s my last season, it’s tough,” Quiroz said. “So I’m enjoying every day, just trying to get better every day and working as hard as I can. I think that’s also why we’re succeeding, because we’re thinking one day at a time and just taking care of business.”

Next, the Trojans will head to Chicago, Illinois from Feb. 13 to Feb. 16 to take part in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships, a tournament that features the top 16 teams in the nation; their first opponent has yet to be determined. The Trojans were able to claim their spot in the competition with 4-0 victories against both Louisiana and Santa Clara on Jan. 23 and 24.

Following the Indoor Championships, the Trojans will return to Marks Stadium to face Stanford and Tulsa on Feb. 27 and 28.