Cukierman will represent tennis team in Malibu


Junior Daniel Cukierman had the most singles wins of any Trojan last season and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. (Daily Trojan file photo)

After successful campaigns at the Battle in the Bay Classic in San Francisco and the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, the Trojans are setting their sights on this weekend’s Oracle ITA Masters hosted by Pepperdine University and the Malibu Racquet Club. Junior Daniel Cukierman will be the sole player representing USC in Malibu.

Cukierman took a nontraditional path to USC. Coming from Israel, Cukierman served in his country’s army before beginning his tennis career with the Trojans, making him older than the typical college junior. He also represented Israel at the 2017 Davis Cup, a knockout-style tournament hosted by the International Tennis Federation featuring participants from all over the world, similar to soccer’s FIFA World Cup.

Cukierman, who previously played at Ironi Daled High School in Tel Aviv, Israel, was once placed at No. 525 in singles in the Association of Tennis Professionals’ rankings. He also participated in Israel’s Futures tournament, reaching the singles and doubles finals multiple times. Cukierman is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation in singles via the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Last year saw many accomplishments for Cukierman on the court, as he reached his peak singles rank at No. 4 and doubles rank at No. 21 with his partner and former Trojan Tanner Smith. On top of that, Cukierman was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and was a Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention. 

Cukierman also racked up the most singles wins on the team last season with a record of 34-11 and achieved a 26-11 record in doubles. Although he mainly played with Smith throughout the season, Cuckierman was also paired with sophomore Bradley Frye, former USC player Jack Jaede and senior Riley Smith, posting positive records with all of them. 

At the NCAA Super Regionals, Cukierman lost in both singles and doubles to North Carolina. However, he still reached the singles final at the Southern California Intercollegiate Championships and won last year’s Oracle ITA National Fall Singles Championship. 

Cukierman hopes to build upon his past achievements and maintains similar expectations for Malibu this weekend. Head coach Brett Masi also has high hopes for Cukierman and the rest of his team.

“For these guys, [as] the next tournament comes, it is just small things … in their games that they’re going to be able to do, whether it’s their serve or volleying or whatever it can be,” Masi said. “There are certain assets to their games that they are going to try to strengthen.”

By tightening up  the small parts of their game, Cukierman and his team hope to improve their skills and rack up more wins against tough opponents. The Oracle ITA Masters tournament will have players from all over the country, ranging from rivals like UCLA to East Coast schools like Columbia.

The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday at Malibu Racquet Club.