Johnson excels on USTA Pro Circuit
Senior Steve Johnson, who is taking this fall semester off to play in the USTA Pro Circuit, won two USTA Futures titles in consecutive weeks.
The reigning NCAA singles champion and leader of the USC men’s tennis team seeking its fourth straight NCAA championship title this spring has transitioned seamlessly to the professional ranks.
In winning his second Futures title last weekend, Johnson has now rattled off a streak of 10 consecutive match wins and 20 straight set wins, sweeping New Zealand’s Artem Sitak in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, in the final of the Costa Mesa Pro Classic on Sunday.
The 2011 Campbell/ITA Player of the Year has not lost a set since dropping the first set of a first round match against Kyle McMorrow at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Pro Classic on Sept. 14.
Johnson’s recent surge has earned him an accompanying rise in the ATP World Tour rankings, as he now stands at No. 471, an increase of 60 spots from his previous ranking.