Trojans best Wildcats to stay perfect in Pac-12 play
The USC men’s tennis squad played their final home matches of the season this weekend against Pac-12 opponents Utah Utes and Arizona Wildcats. The Trojans continued their season success against Pac-12 opponents, putting together a dominating 7-0 performance against the Utes and taking down the Wildcats in a 6-1 victory.
On Friday’s match against the Utes, the Trojans came out firing on all cylinders in doubles play, an area where the Trojans have generally struggled this season. Sophomore Nick Crystal and senior Roberto Quiroz made quick work of Cedric Williams and Matt Cowley, beating the pair 6-1. Junior Max de Vroome and freshman Thibault Forget clinched the doubles point for the Trojans with a 6-1 victory of their own over the Utes pairing of Johan Jonhagen and Santiago Sierra. Seniors Jonny Wang and Eric Johnson were in control in their doubles match, leading 5-1 over Parker McGuiness and Jamey Swiggart before play was suspended.
The Trojans continued to dominate in singles play, winning all six singles matches. In addition, the Trojans didn’t give up a set in singles play and never allowed an opponent to win more than three games in a set. The first Trojan to finish out a singles match was Wang, who shut out Cowley with a resounding 6-0, 6-0 sweep. Sophomore Rob Bellamy earned the Trojans their third point on the day with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 victory over Sierra. Crystal followed with a win over Jonhagen by a score of 6-0, 6-1, which clinched the match for the Trojans. Quiroz was the next Trojan to claim victory, beating out McGuiness 6-0, 6-3. Johnson and Max de Vroome wrapped up the day for the Trojans, with both of them beating their respective Utes opponents by a score of 6-3, 6-2.
Before the beginning of Saturday’s final home match of the season against the Wildcats, the seniors on the team were honored with senior tennis memory books. Johnson and Wang said being honored brought back some great memories of them being on the team.
“It was really great,” Johnson said. “It’s been an incredible journey with the three other seniors. It’s a really special moment.”
“It really brings back memories, especially from the beginning my freshman year, and how different I am now and how much I’ve grown,” Wang said. “But, what’s stayed the same is the family we have as a team. I think that’s the most important thing.”
Wang also said what aspects of his game have improved in his time at USC.
“I think almost every facet of my game is improved,” Wang said. “But what really improved, I think, is the ability to have a plan going into a match and being more disciplined. I think that’s really made a big difference.” When it was time to get down to business, the Trojans were ready. The Trojans controlled doubles action, with the seniors single-handedly clinching the doubles point for the Trojans. Johnson and Wang shut out Wildcats David Mushayev and Jose Zamorano by a score of 6-0, and senior Yannick Hanfmann and Quiroz took down Sumeet Shinde and Trevor James with a score of 6-1. De Vroome and Forget held a 5-2 lead over Jason Jaruvang and Matt Dunn before play was suspended.
The Trojans had a tougher time winning their sets against the Wildcats, but in four of the five singles matches that the Trojans won, the Trojans were able to win in two sets. Johnson gave the Trojans their first singles match point on the afternoon when he defeated Shinde in two 6-1 sets.
Quiroz was the next Trojan to declare victory, winning 6-2, 6-0 over Mushayev. De Vroome clinched the home victory for the Trojans with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jaruvang.
Wang was the final senior to finish his singles match, beating Will Kneale 7-5, 6-2 and completing a perfect performance for the seniors on their final weekend playing at Marks Stadium. Crystal ensured the Trojans finished the match with a victory, coming back from a set down to beat James in three sets by a score of 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
The Trojans will travel to Northern California to take on California and Stanford before returning to Los Angeles to take on rival UCLA before the Pac-12 Championships begin. Following that tournament, the Trojans will turn their focus to the NCAA Team Championships and the NCAA Individual Championships.
Johnson says that his team members will likely have a slightly different game plan in each of their final matches before the Pac-12 Championships, but he also says the matches will offer an opportunity for the Trojans to fine-tune their games before the Pac-12 Championships and the NCAA Championships begin.
“Everyone has their own individual match and everyone’s different, so you’ll have your own little strategy,” Johnson said. “But as the last three matches leading up to NCAAs, you’re just trying to fix anything with yourself and just really get ready for the end goal of winning.”