University Southern California Trojans
USC
*UCLA
Men's Tennis Beats UCLA, 4-3
March 02, 2004 | Men's Tennis
March 2, 2004
LOS ANGELES - Senior Adriano Biasella upset fifth-ranked Tobias Clemens to give the Trojans' the match-clinching point as the seventh-ranked USC men's tennis team beat 10th-ranked UCLA, 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon. The win marked USC's (8-1, 1-0 Pac-10) first victory over the Bruins (9-4, 0-1 Pac-10) at Marks Tennis Stadium since 1998. The match will be tape delayed on FOX Sports West 2 on March 6 at 3 p.m.
"Our team is trying to make a statement this season and our players have done that by winning these past two matches," said USC head coach Peter Smith referring to the Trojans' victory over third-ranked Baylor on Saturday. "The way we won today, by losing doubles and coming back and beating their best player to clinch the match, made this win very special."
The match began with UCLA taking two of three doubles matches to claim the first point of the afternoon. The Bruins defeated the Trojans' on courts one and three by 8-5 and 8-6 scores, respectively. USC's Drew Hoskins and Daniel Langre prevented the Bruins from sweeping with a 9-8 win at the No. 2 spot.
Down 1-0 and determined not to let the Bruins do the same in singles, USC captured the first set on four-of-six courts. Ruben Torres knotted the match score at 1-1 by defeating UCLA's Phillip Gruendler, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 5 position. Hoskins then gave USC a 2-1 lead when he beat Chris Surapol, 6-3, 6-2, at court six. Following a loss at the No. 4 position, USC regained the lead when Johan Berg upset No. 43 Alberto Francis, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 2.
With only two matches remaining, a USC victory seemed inevitable as Biasella reached match point in the second set at center court. But Clemens was not prepared to fall that easily, winning three-straight games to push the match to a third set. Meanwhile, USC's Jamil Al-Agba, who had fallen 7-6 to start his match, had just beaten Kris Kwinta in the second, 6-0, and was also entering a third set.
Biasella won convincingly in the final set, 6-1, 5-7, 6-1, giving the Trojans the clinching fourth point against their crosstown rival. Al-Agba eventually fell to Kwinta to complete the afternoon.
USC also earned 2.5 Lexus Gauntlet points with today's victory. The two teams split the five points awarded in men's tennis this season with each team winning on its home court.
#7 USC 4, #10 UCLA 3
Doubles
(1) #29 Francis/Kwinta (UCLA) def. Berg/Biasella (USC) - 8-5
(2) Hoskins/Langre (USC) def. Clemens/Lam (UCLA) - 9-8(7-3)
(3) Gruendler/Surapol (UCLA) def. Al-Agba/Torres (USC) - 8-6
UCLA wins doubles point.
Singles
(1) Adriano Biasella (USC) def. #5 Tobias Clemens (UCLA) - 6-1, 5-7, 6-1*
(2) #84 Johan Berg (USC) def. #43 Alberto Francis (UCLA) - 6-2, 6-3
(3) #73 Kris Kwinta (UCLA) def. Jamil Al-Agba (USC) - 7-6(7), 0-6, 6-2
(4) #61 Chris Lam (UCLA) def. Daniel Langre (USC) - 6-2, 6-3
(5) #68 Ruben Torres (USC) def. Phillip Gruendler (UCLA) - 6-1, 6-3
(6) #69 Drew Hoskins (USC) def. Chris Surapol (UCLA) - 6-3, 6-2
* match clinching point
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3
