Men’s tennis ends singles play in NCAA round of 16


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USC seniors Yannick Hanfmann and Jonny Wang took losses at this year’s NCAA Round of 16 at Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, but still ended their time at USC with All-American statuses and strong career singles records.

Hanfmann and Wang were set against higher seeded opponents following their stellar performance at the Round of 32 and Round of 64. Hanfmann, who was a 9-16 seed, was set against Noah Rubin of Wake Forest, the No. 7 seed in the draw.

Rubin took a lead against Hanfmann in the first set, working up to a 6-2, 6-4 win that would bring Hanfmann’s journey to a close while sending Rubin off to the quarterfinals.

Wang, who secured his first ITA All-American this season, was set against Felipe Soares of Texas Tech. Wang fought hard, pushing the game into a third set. Soares, however, came back with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory in the end.

Wang and Hanfmann played well in the NCAA Singles Championship, securing  straight-set victories in the Round of 64, which led to their advancement to the NCAA Round of 32 singles, where they secured another victory.

In the NCAA Round of 64, Hanfmann played against Oklahoma’s No. 44 Dane Webb, beating him 6-3, 6-1. Wang defeated Samir Iftikhar from New Mexico in a 6-1, 6-4 win — securing Wang’s place in the NCAA Round of 32 for the second time in a row. USC senior Roberto Quiroz also secured a win against Jack Findel-Hawkins in the first round and was able to move on to the Round of 32 as well.

Quiroz dropped out after a 6-4, 6-4 loss to No. 9 Quentin Monaghan of Notre Dame in the Round of 32. He ended his career with an admirable       122-28 all-time record. Wang played against Julian Lenz of Baylor on his home court, knocking out a 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 win in a tense and evenly matched game. Hanfmann secured his place more easily in his matchup against Christopher Eubanks of Georgia Tech in a 6-2, 6-0 win leading him straight to the NCAA Round of 16.

In the Doubles Round of 32, Hanfmann and Quiroz played against Texas’                                         Glasspool/Hess-Olesen – leading to a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory for the Longhorns, and ending Hanfmann and Quiroz’s season together. As a team, Hanfmann and Quiroz had a 22-8 overall doubles record as well as achieving the 2014 ITA National Indoors Doubles Champions this season.

Reaching the NCAA Round of 16 secured Hanfmann’s fifth ITA All-American honor as well as the ITA Southwest Region Player of the Year award for this season. Hanfmann also leaves behind his career singles record of 110-34 at Troy. Haufmann was instrumental in the Trojans’ success at the 2012 and 2014 NCAA Championships.

Wang also leaves behind an impressive legacy of a 96-32 career singles record, with a 31-9 record for his senior year at USC. In addition to gaining his first ITA All-American for reaching the Round of 16, Wang was also the ITA Southwest Region honoree for Most Improved Senior of the Year.