After failing to qualify any players for the NCAA Individual Championships in the fall, USC men’s tennis returned to the court Jan. 20 with a commanding doubleheader sweep against UC Irvine and San Diego State University. 

Neither Irvine nor San Diego State earned a point against the Trojans, making the score from the set of matches against the Anteaters and Aztecs 6-0 and 7-0, respectively.

USC’s roster looks a little different this semester with the addition of two international recruits — freshmen Nathan Trouve from France and Matteo Morazzi from Spain. The doubles pair both attended the Rafa Nadal International School and have played two tournaments together this season, winning the doubles title at the J300 Bradenton tournament in 2024. 

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“[Trouve and Morazzi] bring a lot of great energy. It’s always nice to have more depth as well. We were seven deep in the fall and now we’re nine, and we also had a couple guys with injuries. Just having a full team out there means a lot,” said Head Coach Brett Masi in an interview with the Daily Trojan.

As for their performances as Trojans, Trouve and Morazzi are undefeated in a small sample size. The pair beat Irvine’s pairing of sophomore Max Fardanesh and graduate student Sohrob Amiryavari 7-6 (4) and left their match against San Diego State’s team of junior Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice and freshman Denis Maijorov unfinished mid-tiebreak since USC had already earned the doubles point of the dual match. 

 “The camaraderie and the vibes are really, really strong right now amongst the group, and [Trouve and Morazzi] definitely add to that,” Masi said. “Just having good tennis players with good demeanors and good personalities that complement the rest of our group really well.”

In singles, Trouve also secured a 5-7, 6-4, [10-2] win over San Diego State sophomore Philipp Bosse and a 6-3, 6-1 win over Irvine sophomore Andy Nguyen. Morazzi also won in his first singles match as a Trojan against Amiryavari. The score was 6-1, 6-7 (2), [10-6].

The other two USC freshmen, Connor Church and Niels Hoffmann, also had successful matches. The pair won both their doubles and singles matches against San Diego State, with Hoffmann beating Irvine freshman Rui Ning Huang 6-2, 7-6 (1).

“[The team has] been super inclusive, and a lot of the guys have been super welcoming and patient with us, which is always really nice to have as a freshman [since] you’re a little disoriented,” Hoffmann said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “The leaders here have done a really good job of being good role models, and I hope to do the same when that time comes.”

One of those leaders, senior Karl Lee, also got off to an impressive start to his season, defeating Irvine senior Rithvik Krishna 6-3, 6-1 and San Diego State senior Mathieu Josserand 4-6, 7-6 (2), [10-7].

“Everyone competed great. And the vibes are very good,” Lee said. “Everyone’s pumping each other up, bouncing off of each other. Not being able to do that in the fall and doing this in the spring is super uplifting. I’m very excited for the season.”

Fall returners senior Peter Makk — recently named to the 2025 Big Ten Players to Watch List — and graduate student Tristan Bradley defeated Irvine’s pairing of senior Noah Zamora and Nguyen 6-4, as well as San Diego State’s pairing of senior Alexander Mandma and Josserand 6-3. 

Makk also defeated No. 31 Zamora 7-6 (5), 6-1, a definitive win against a top-ranked player. 

While the Anteaters and Aztecs may not be the toughest opponents the Trojans will see on the other side of the net this season, the dominant victories still marked a promising start for the team.

USC will continue playing at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend in Tucson, Arizona. Their first match will be Saturday at noon against Arizona.