USC men’s tennis got its fall season underway Friday, with three players participating in the Sherwood Collegiate Cup in Thousand Oaks from Sept. 26 to 28.

Of the three Trojans who played in the tournament, only sophomore Niels Hoffmann was a returning player from last season. Hoffmann had a dominant showing at the tournament, defeating graduate Thibaud Maxant from Saint Mary’s College of California 7-6, 6-0 in singles. He also partnered with graduate Jack McCarthy to beat BYU’s pairing of junior Tygen Goldammer and senior Redd Owen in doubles, by a score of 6-3.

“What we’re looking for on a match-by-match basis [is] how are we showing maturation,” Head Coach Brett Masi said. “Are we showing growth and getting ourselves better each week?”

The competition also marked the first appearances — and wins — for two international recruits in cardinal and gold. 

Freshman Pablo Robledo Hoyos, who hails from Bogotá, Colombia, impressed Masi as a player who has “come with eyes wide open” and is “very coachable.” Robledo hit the ground running, earning his first win as a Trojan in a hard-fought 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 [10-2] victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo freshman Denzel Seetso.

According to Masi, before coming to USC, Robledo developed a strong mentorship with fellow Colombian and former Trojan, Robert Farah. Farah won three championships while at USC: the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2008, and the NCAA Team Championships in 2009 and 2010. He went on to become the Association of Tennis Professionals’ No. 1-ranked doubles player from 2019 to 2021, and won two Grand Slam titles in 2019. 

McCarthy, a graduate transfer from Cornell University, came from Gold Coast, Australia, and has seemingly found a new place to call home. In addition to his doubles victory with Hoffmann, he held his own against Finn Dyer, a sophomore and fellow Australian from Saint Mary’s College, winning 6-0, 6-3.

Even though he spent four years at Cornell, McCarthy is focused on making the most of his time in Southern California, according to Masi. 

“He’s trying to get the best out of his tennis for one more season playing at a high level,” Masi said. “By the time we get to our regionals that are [in] Arizona in a couple weeks, he wants to go out there and try to win it, or get to the finals so we can try to qualify for NCAAs.”

The additions of McCarthy and Robledo to the roster haven’t prevented the squad from shrinking in size since last year, going from a total of nine players to seven due to the departures of Tristan Bradley, Karl Lee, Peter Makk and Oscar Weightman.

Looking ahead, however, Masi said that the team anticipates seeing new faces next semester. 

“We have guys coming in January … so it will be back up to nine or 10 by the spring,” Masi said.

With four veterans gone and a roster of young prospects, there are big shoes to fill in terms of leadership and experience — and McCarthy is ready to step up, Masi said.

“We’re trying to look for him for some leadership qualities, being that he was a captain for two years at Cornell, and then coming here and trying to do the same thing,” Masi said. “For the rest of the guys, I think it’s up to them to decide who’s going to take that role, take that leadership quality on and kind of grow from there.”

As a team, USC finished last spring with a 16-11 record, reaching the third round of the 2025 NCAA Championships before falling to crosstown rival UCLA. 

This fall, the Trojans’ focus shifts from team results to individual development, Masi said. The ultimate goal is to build on last year’s momentum and to qualify players for the NCAA Individual Championships in Orlando, Florida, in November — something they were unable to achieve in 2024.

For Masi, the fall season serves as an opportunity to give players a chance to come into their own and build confidence, with less of an emphasis on results. 

“Early on right now, it’s about taking small baby steps and trying to grow,” Masi said. “Not worrying about wins and losses, but worrying about, ‘How can I get better so that when I play in the spring, I’m playing my best tennis?’”

The Trojans will next hit the court Oct. 9 in San Diego for the SoCal Intercollegiate Championships.