Tennis teams continue their hot starts


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Junior Daniel Cukierman prepares for a hit. He dominated the tournament field in Malibu and came from behind to win the title game. (Daily Trojan file photo)

No. 2-seeded junior Daniel Cukierman cruised through the Oracle ITA Masters and defeated top-seed UCLA sophomore Keegan Smith in the title match at the Malibu Racquet Club Sunday.

Cukierman, the only representative from USC at Malibu over the weekend, started his tournament off fast with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Bryant University senior Guido Argentini. The Round of 16 saw Cukierman defeat Western Michigan senior Jannik Opitz 6-1, 6-3, before he seized two more straight-set wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches to reach Sunday’s final.

Smith took the first set in Sunday’s title match and led by a break in the second. However, Cukierman stormed back from a 1-2 deficit to take a 5-2 lead, forcing a third set after a 6-3 win. The Trojan and Bruin were tied up at 3-3 in the third, but Cukierman made a late-game push with a clutch break to move in front 4-3. Cukierman carried his momentum to the finish line, closing out the match in the 10th game to secure a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win.

Following Sunday’s victory, head coach Brett Masi praised Cukierman’s resilience during the tournament.

“Leading up to the final, Daniel was the one that took the initiative in the matches,” Masi said.

“Today he had to adapt his game because obviously his opponent was a lot bigger than him … What I like most was that he didn’t get down on himself after the setback — he stayed positive and gave himself a chance at the second set and eventually won the match.”

Although Masi was impressed by Cukierman’s performance, he didn’t seem particularly surprised. 

“He is a top player in the country,” Masi said. “Right now, it’s just about getting his game better and growing — results will keep coming if that’s the case … you’ve got to build yourself up, keep building and then hopefully just keep playing your best tennis toward the end of the year.”

Cukierman’s 2019 victory follows Laurens Verboven’s 2018 crown and Brandon Holt’s 2017 win at the Oracle ITA Masters, making this the third consecutive year a Trojan has won the singles tournament at the event.

Cukierman also teamed up with UCLA redshirt senior Jada Hart for mixed double actions in Malibu. The two marched into the quarterfinals with two quick wins before being edged out in a tiebreak loss to wrap up their run.

On the women’s side, senior Angela Kulikov saw some success with her partner, USC graduate Guiliana Olmos, at the Central Coast Pro Tennis Open in Templeton last week. The pair defeated the No. 1 seed Quinn Gleason and Ingrid Neel, former collegiate players in the Round of 16, advancing to the quarterfinal before capturing another convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory. Kulikov and her partner fell short to the No. 3 seed in the semifinal.

The Trojans look to continue this season’s hot start with the St. Francis Health System ITA All-American championships beginning Oct. 5 in Tulsa, Okla.

A portion of this article has been updated to remove mention of Sabrina Santamaria’s performance in the Tashkent Open. Santamaria is an alumna of USC, not a senior, and participated in the Open as a professional. The Daily Trojan regrets the error.