University Southern California Trojans
Thursday, March 12
Los Angeles, Calif.
12:00 PM
USC
at
UCLA
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Photo by: John McGillen
No. 1 USC Men Have Road Work Ahead At No. 25 UCLA [UPDATE: MATCH CANCELLED]
March 10, 2020 | Men's Tennis, Features
Weather permitting, the top-ranked Trojans will tangle with the Bruins on Thursday at Los Angeles Tennis Center. **MATCH WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC**
THIS WEEK
The top-ranked Trojans are back in California this week, set up for a stretch of in-state action. USC had a Tuesday (March 10) match at Marks Stadium scheduled with Wake Forest, but with heavy rains in the forecast that face-off has been cancelled. Weather permitting, No. 1 USC (13-1) does have a visit to crosstown rival No. 25 UCLA still on the books, with the Trojans planning to visit the Bruins for a 12 p.m. nonconference clash on Thursday (March 12) at Los Angeles Tennis Center. PLEASE BE AWARE that due to coronavirus precautions, Thursday's match at UCLA will be CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. Live scores and video will be available at https://uclabruins.com/sports/2020/1/13/ucla-tennis-live-stats-m.aspx
ORACLE/ITA RANKINGS UPDATE
USC opened up 2020 as the No. 3 team in the preseason national Oracle/ITA rankings — a notable upgrade from last season's No. 8 finish and reflective of the depth of talent on the Trojans' roster. On Feb. 5, USC leapt to No. 1 in the nation — the first time at the top spot since Feb. 24, 2015 — and the Trojans remain on top in the latest set of national rankings (released March 10). In the latest ITA individual rankings (released March 3, 2020), USC has five Trojans ranked in singles. Daniel Cukierman looms largest as he continues to grip his #1 singles ranking, which set him as the first Trojan since 2012 to stand as the top-ranked player in the nation. Sticking with him in the top-25 is #18 Brandon Holt. Three other Trojans are still slated in the singles rankings — #25 Riley Smith, #27 Mor Bulis and #114 Ryder Jackson. In doubles, USC has three ranked pairs. Riley Smith weighs in on two of those, standing at #5 with Cukierman and #53 with Dostanic. Now sitting at #54 is Bulis and Holt.
MAKING THEIR MARKS
The 2020 Trojans are pulling some big numbers...
#1 team in the nation — last achieved Feb. 24, 2015
#1 player in the nation — last was Steve Johnson in 2012
ITA National Team Indoor Champion - last won 2012
SCOUTING UCLA
The No. 25 Bruins are 9-4 overall after a 6-1 win over Liberty last week. UCLA has two players ranked in singles — #4 Keegan Smith and #21 Govind Nanda — and #29 Nanda/Smith ranked in doubles. In a series dating back to 1929, USC is 96-114 all-time against UCLA. Last year, the Trojans beat the Bruins 4-1 at Marks Stadium and lost 4-3 in Westwood in their Pac-12 match.
LAST ACTION
USC scored two Pac-12 road wins in its last action, picking up a 4-1 win at Oregon and a 4-0 sweep at Washington to go to 2-0 in the conference race. The Trojans stayed perfect in its all-time series against Oregon with a 4-1 victory over the Ducks in Eugene. After pulling off a tight doubles point, the Trojans secured two quick singles wins from Daniel Cukierman and Mor Bulis before the Ducks got a point on the board. Sophomore Jake Sands would deliver the deciding blow from court six, and USC's first Pac-12 win of the year was in the books. Against the Huskies, USC served up a shutout in Seattle, cleaning up a quick doubles point and then stringing up three straight-set wins capped by a clincher from Bradley Frye. Jake Sands and Riley Smith combined forces for the first win of the day, ringing up a 6-1 win on court two before teammates Mor Bulis and Ryder Jackson delivered a 6-2 decision on court three to pop a 1-0 lead on the board for the Trojans. Singles was similarly speedy as #78 Stefan Dostanic lit the fuse on a solid singles day by the Trojans. The freshman secured a 6-2, 6-1 win over Thibault Cancel on court three to make it 2-0 Trojans. Jake Sands stayed in winning form in churning out a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Liam Puttergill at the No. 5 spot, and it was 3-0 USC to set the table for Bradley Frye's clincher. Frye tacked up a 6-3, 6-4 win over Adam Torocsik on court six to beat out two of his Trojan teammates who were on the brink of victory and make it a 4-0 USC victory and a road sweep for USC.
ITA INDOOR CHAMPIONS
The Trojans were the No. 2 seeds in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship draw, and opened with a tight 4-2 win over No. 11 TCU to move into the quarterfinals. There, USC was up against No. 8 Stanford for the second time this year, and the Trojans made quick work of the Cardinal in this one with a 4-0 sweep. In the semifinals, USC faced No. 13 Michigan, and the Trojans had their hands full. Down 3-1 to the Wolverines, the Trojans gutted out three three-set comebacks, capped by a tiebreak clincher from No. 1 Daniel Cukierman on court two. That got USC into the title match, where the Trojans had a rematch of last year's NCAA Round of 16 in facing off against North Carolina. The Tar Heels had ended USC's season in that round in 2019, and the Trojans were determined for payback. The doubles point came down to a tiebreaker on court one after the Tar Heels won a quick on one court three and USC's Mor Bulis and Brandon Holt responded with a quick-fire answer for the Trojans on court two. At the top spot, USC's #58 Daniel Cukierman and Riley Smith trailed in the tiebreaker, but battled back to claim a 7-6 (5) win over Blumberg/Cernoch and plug a 1-0 lead on the board for the Trojans. In singles, USC's #24 Brandon Holt, who had battled illness all week, had to retire from his match with William Blumberg on court one. That gave the Tar Heels a point to tie it up 1-1, but the Trojans were undeterred. Holt's fellow captain, #1 Daniel Cukierman, shouldered the load on court two and spun a 6-2, 6-1 win over #60 Ben Sigouin to tug the Trojans back ahead, up 2-1. Cukierman's straight-set trend continued for the Trojans. On court five, #65 freshman Stefan Dostanic stood tall with a smooth 6-1, 6-4 win over Brian Cernoch to get USC into winning position, up 3-1. As matches on courts three and six stayed tight, #15 Mor Bulis hit the gas in his match on court four. The sophomore secured the championship for his Trojans on his 6-3, 6-1 win over #80 Josh Peck, and USC hit celebration mode on the indoor courts in Madison. Cukierman was perfect in doubles and singles throughout the tourney, winning all four doubles matches with Riley Smith at the top spot and collecting four singles wins. Cukierman had the comeback clincher to beat No. 13 Michigan in the semifinals yesterday. He also posted a three-set clincher in the Round of 16 win over No. 11 TCU. Smith also was undefeated this week, winning those four doubles matches with Cukierman and claiming two singles wins with two matches suspended by Trojan victories.
DANIEL DOUBLES UP
USC junior captain Daniel Cukierman was perfect in doubles and singles throughout the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, helping anchor the top-ranked Trojans' run to the title at the event in Madison, Wisc. For his dominating efforts, Cukierman has been named the UTR/ITA Player of the Week for the first time while also landing his second selection of the year as Pac-12 Player of the Week on Feb. 18. In four USC wins in four days, Cukierman won all four doubles matches with Riley Smith at the top spot and collected four singles wins. Ranked #1 in the nation in singles, Cukierman had the comeback clincher to beat No. 13 Michigan in the semifinals on Sunday. He also posted a three-set clincher in the Round of 16 win over No. 11 TCU on Friday. His straight-set singles win in yesterday's championship match set the Trojans on a path to victory in a final 4-1 win over No. 5 North Carolina. In winning USC's fourth ITA National Team Indoor Championship, the Trojans also avenged a bitter loss taken to the Tar Heels in last year's NCAA Round of 16. Cukierman had opened the week on a winning note as well, getting a doubles win and then the clinching singles win for the Trojans in their 6-1 win over host Wisconsin last Tuesday to get the ball rolling on a winning week in Madison for the Trojans. Cukierman now grips a 26-2 overall singles record in his junior season. He and Smith are 10-1 in doubles play.
CUKIERMAN CLAIMS TWO CUPS
USC junior Daniel Cukierman double-dipped his way into two trophies at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup, claiming the singles crown on Jan. 20 after he and Riley Smith teamed up for the doubles title the day prior in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Top-ranked in the nation and the top seed in the singles draw, Cukierman had a bye in the opening round and would advance by walkover into the quarterfinals. There, he'd have to contend with his freshman teammates #37 Stefan Dostanic, and it was a battle. After three sets of work, Cukierman had bested his fellow Trojan 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 to take a spot in the semifinals and put an end to Dostanic's two-win start to the spring. In the semis, Cukierman was up against Stanford's Axel Geller, and the USC captain rolled to a straight-set victory that sent him into today's title match. Again, Cukierman would gut out a three-set decision, topping Stanford's #18 Alex Rotsaert 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to claim the Sherwood Collegiate Cup singles championship. As he lifted the singles trophy in Thousand Oaks, Cukierman was not even 24 hours past the doubles championship that he had claimed alongside Riley Smith on the same court. Paired up for just the second time in their careers, Cukierman and Smith were the top-seeded pair in the doubles draw, earning a first-round bye before launching into their winning run. The two Trojans dispatched Texas A&M's Kumar/Schachter 6-3 in the quarterfinals and Stanford's Geller/Rajesh 7-5 in the semis before mirroring that score and edging out UCLA's Nanda/K. Smith in the title match. For his winning run at Sherwood, Cukierman claimed his first career Pac-12 Player of the Week award on Jan. 21.
BRANDON STAYS PERFECT
USC senior Brandon Holt hauled in his fourth career Pac-12 Player of the Week selection after a winning weekend of road work for the Trojans. With two singles and two doubles wins in the Bay Area, Holt kept his perfect slate clean this season, as he improved to 7-0 in singles and 11-0 in doubles. Then ranked #24 in the nation in singles, Holt became the second Trojan to win the award this year, following Daniel Cukierman, and he earned USC's 55th all-time award. At No. 11 Stanford, Holt combined forces with Mor Bulis for the clinching doubles point and later secured team victory for USC with a straight-set singles win on court one. The next day at No. 15 California, the Holt again got a doubles win with Bulis and cruised to the first singles win — straight sets again, this time over a ranked foe — to help USC along to another win.
FEARSOME FALL
In fall 2019, USC had Trojans win at least one individual title at five out of seven tournaments competed in. In addition, two Trojan freshmen reached tournament title matches:
SINGLES
Daniel Cukierman -— Oracle ITA Masters champion
Mor Bulis — Milwaukee Tennis Classic champion
Brandon Holt — Battle in the Bay champion
Stefan Dostanic — ITA Southwest Regional finalist
Ryder Jackson — SoCal Intercollegiate finalist
DOUBLES
Brandon Holt / Riley Smith — ITA Southwest Regional champions
Stefan Dostanic / Brandon Holt — Battle in the Bay champions
BY THE NUMBERS
USC's winningest player to date is top-ranked Daniel Cukierman, who has racked up 26 singles wins to beat out teammates Mor Bulis with 22 wins and Ryder Jackson with 19. In doubles, Cukierman and Riley Smith lead the pack with 10 wins so far.
LAST SEASON
USC went 22-8 overall last year with a run to the NCAA Round of 16, finishing the 2019 season ranked No. 8 in the nation while also boasting honors as the Pac-12 Tournament Champion. In earning a No. 5 seed and reaching the NCAA Singles Quartefinals, Brandon Holt closed out his junior campaign as an ITA All-American once again, along with status as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Holt was joined on the All-Pac-12 awards list by fellow first-teamer Daniel Cukierman, with Laurens Verboven earning second-team honors and Tanner Smith on the honorable mention list. Holt, Cukierman and Tanner Smith all earned a place in the NCAA Singles draw and secured first-round wins. Additionally Holt paired with Riley Smith in the NCAA Doubles draw.
The top-ranked Trojans are back in California this week, set up for a stretch of in-state action. USC had a Tuesday (March 10) match at Marks Stadium scheduled with Wake Forest, but with heavy rains in the forecast that face-off has been cancelled. Weather permitting, No. 1 USC (13-1) does have a visit to crosstown rival No. 25 UCLA still on the books, with the Trojans planning to visit the Bruins for a 12 p.m. nonconference clash on Thursday (March 12) at Los Angeles Tennis Center. PLEASE BE AWARE that due to coronavirus precautions, Thursday's match at UCLA will be CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. Live scores and video will be available at https://uclabruins.com/sports/2020/1/13/ucla-tennis-live-stats-m.aspx
ORACLE/ITA RANKINGS UPDATE
USC opened up 2020 as the No. 3 team in the preseason national Oracle/ITA rankings — a notable upgrade from last season's No. 8 finish and reflective of the depth of talent on the Trojans' roster. On Feb. 5, USC leapt to No. 1 in the nation — the first time at the top spot since Feb. 24, 2015 — and the Trojans remain on top in the latest set of national rankings (released March 10). In the latest ITA individual rankings (released March 3, 2020), USC has five Trojans ranked in singles. Daniel Cukierman looms largest as he continues to grip his #1 singles ranking, which set him as the first Trojan since 2012 to stand as the top-ranked player in the nation. Sticking with him in the top-25 is #18 Brandon Holt. Three other Trojans are still slated in the singles rankings — #25 Riley Smith, #27 Mor Bulis and #114 Ryder Jackson. In doubles, USC has three ranked pairs. Riley Smith weighs in on two of those, standing at #5 with Cukierman and #53 with Dostanic. Now sitting at #54 is Bulis and Holt.
MAKING THEIR MARKS
The 2020 Trojans are pulling some big numbers...
#1 team in the nation — last achieved Feb. 24, 2015
#1 player in the nation — last was Steve Johnson in 2012
ITA National Team Indoor Champion - last won 2012
SCOUTING UCLA
The No. 25 Bruins are 9-4 overall after a 6-1 win over Liberty last week. UCLA has two players ranked in singles — #4 Keegan Smith and #21 Govind Nanda — and #29 Nanda/Smith ranked in doubles. In a series dating back to 1929, USC is 96-114 all-time against UCLA. Last year, the Trojans beat the Bruins 4-1 at Marks Stadium and lost 4-3 in Westwood in their Pac-12 match.
LAST ACTION
USC scored two Pac-12 road wins in its last action, picking up a 4-1 win at Oregon and a 4-0 sweep at Washington to go to 2-0 in the conference race. The Trojans stayed perfect in its all-time series against Oregon with a 4-1 victory over the Ducks in Eugene. After pulling off a tight doubles point, the Trojans secured two quick singles wins from Daniel Cukierman and Mor Bulis before the Ducks got a point on the board. Sophomore Jake Sands would deliver the deciding blow from court six, and USC's first Pac-12 win of the year was in the books. Against the Huskies, USC served up a shutout in Seattle, cleaning up a quick doubles point and then stringing up three straight-set wins capped by a clincher from Bradley Frye. Jake Sands and Riley Smith combined forces for the first win of the day, ringing up a 6-1 win on court two before teammates Mor Bulis and Ryder Jackson delivered a 6-2 decision on court three to pop a 1-0 lead on the board for the Trojans. Singles was similarly speedy as #78 Stefan Dostanic lit the fuse on a solid singles day by the Trojans. The freshman secured a 6-2, 6-1 win over Thibault Cancel on court three to make it 2-0 Trojans. Jake Sands stayed in winning form in churning out a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Liam Puttergill at the No. 5 spot, and it was 3-0 USC to set the table for Bradley Frye's clincher. Frye tacked up a 6-3, 6-4 win over Adam Torocsik on court six to beat out two of his Trojan teammates who were on the brink of victory and make it a 4-0 USC victory and a road sweep for USC.
ITA INDOOR CHAMPIONS
The Trojans were the No. 2 seeds in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship draw, and opened with a tight 4-2 win over No. 11 TCU to move into the quarterfinals. There, USC was up against No. 8 Stanford for the second time this year, and the Trojans made quick work of the Cardinal in this one with a 4-0 sweep. In the semifinals, USC faced No. 13 Michigan, and the Trojans had their hands full. Down 3-1 to the Wolverines, the Trojans gutted out three three-set comebacks, capped by a tiebreak clincher from No. 1 Daniel Cukierman on court two. That got USC into the title match, where the Trojans had a rematch of last year's NCAA Round of 16 in facing off against North Carolina. The Tar Heels had ended USC's season in that round in 2019, and the Trojans were determined for payback. The doubles point came down to a tiebreaker on court one after the Tar Heels won a quick on one court three and USC's Mor Bulis and Brandon Holt responded with a quick-fire answer for the Trojans on court two. At the top spot, USC's #58 Daniel Cukierman and Riley Smith trailed in the tiebreaker, but battled back to claim a 7-6 (5) win over Blumberg/Cernoch and plug a 1-0 lead on the board for the Trojans. In singles, USC's #24 Brandon Holt, who had battled illness all week, had to retire from his match with William Blumberg on court one. That gave the Tar Heels a point to tie it up 1-1, but the Trojans were undeterred. Holt's fellow captain, #1 Daniel Cukierman, shouldered the load on court two and spun a 6-2, 6-1 win over #60 Ben Sigouin to tug the Trojans back ahead, up 2-1. Cukierman's straight-set trend continued for the Trojans. On court five, #65 freshman Stefan Dostanic stood tall with a smooth 6-1, 6-4 win over Brian Cernoch to get USC into winning position, up 3-1. As matches on courts three and six stayed tight, #15 Mor Bulis hit the gas in his match on court four. The sophomore secured the championship for his Trojans on his 6-3, 6-1 win over #80 Josh Peck, and USC hit celebration mode on the indoor courts in Madison. Cukierman was perfect in doubles and singles throughout the tourney, winning all four doubles matches with Riley Smith at the top spot and collecting four singles wins. Cukierman had the comeback clincher to beat No. 13 Michigan in the semifinals yesterday. He also posted a three-set clincher in the Round of 16 win over No. 11 TCU. Smith also was undefeated this week, winning those four doubles matches with Cukierman and claiming two singles wins with two matches suspended by Trojan victories.
DANIEL DOUBLES UP
USC junior captain Daniel Cukierman was perfect in doubles and singles throughout the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, helping anchor the top-ranked Trojans' run to the title at the event in Madison, Wisc. For his dominating efforts, Cukierman has been named the UTR/ITA Player of the Week for the first time while also landing his second selection of the year as Pac-12 Player of the Week on Feb. 18. In four USC wins in four days, Cukierman won all four doubles matches with Riley Smith at the top spot and collected four singles wins. Ranked #1 in the nation in singles, Cukierman had the comeback clincher to beat No. 13 Michigan in the semifinals on Sunday. He also posted a three-set clincher in the Round of 16 win over No. 11 TCU on Friday. His straight-set singles win in yesterday's championship match set the Trojans on a path to victory in a final 4-1 win over No. 5 North Carolina. In winning USC's fourth ITA National Team Indoor Championship, the Trojans also avenged a bitter loss taken to the Tar Heels in last year's NCAA Round of 16. Cukierman had opened the week on a winning note as well, getting a doubles win and then the clinching singles win for the Trojans in their 6-1 win over host Wisconsin last Tuesday to get the ball rolling on a winning week in Madison for the Trojans. Cukierman now grips a 26-2 overall singles record in his junior season. He and Smith are 10-1 in doubles play.
CUKIERMAN CLAIMS TWO CUPS
USC junior Daniel Cukierman double-dipped his way into two trophies at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup, claiming the singles crown on Jan. 20 after he and Riley Smith teamed up for the doubles title the day prior in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Top-ranked in the nation and the top seed in the singles draw, Cukierman had a bye in the opening round and would advance by walkover into the quarterfinals. There, he'd have to contend with his freshman teammates #37 Stefan Dostanic, and it was a battle. After three sets of work, Cukierman had bested his fellow Trojan 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 to take a spot in the semifinals and put an end to Dostanic's two-win start to the spring. In the semis, Cukierman was up against Stanford's Axel Geller, and the USC captain rolled to a straight-set victory that sent him into today's title match. Again, Cukierman would gut out a three-set decision, topping Stanford's #18 Alex Rotsaert 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to claim the Sherwood Collegiate Cup singles championship. As he lifted the singles trophy in Thousand Oaks, Cukierman was not even 24 hours past the doubles championship that he had claimed alongside Riley Smith on the same court. Paired up for just the second time in their careers, Cukierman and Smith were the top-seeded pair in the doubles draw, earning a first-round bye before launching into their winning run. The two Trojans dispatched Texas A&M's Kumar/Schachter 6-3 in the quarterfinals and Stanford's Geller/Rajesh 7-5 in the semis before mirroring that score and edging out UCLA's Nanda/K. Smith in the title match. For his winning run at Sherwood, Cukierman claimed his first career Pac-12 Player of the Week award on Jan. 21.
BRANDON STAYS PERFECT
USC senior Brandon Holt hauled in his fourth career Pac-12 Player of the Week selection after a winning weekend of road work for the Trojans. With two singles and two doubles wins in the Bay Area, Holt kept his perfect slate clean this season, as he improved to 7-0 in singles and 11-0 in doubles. Then ranked #24 in the nation in singles, Holt became the second Trojan to win the award this year, following Daniel Cukierman, and he earned USC's 55th all-time award. At No. 11 Stanford, Holt combined forces with Mor Bulis for the clinching doubles point and later secured team victory for USC with a straight-set singles win on court one. The next day at No. 15 California, the Holt again got a doubles win with Bulis and cruised to the first singles win — straight sets again, this time over a ranked foe — to help USC along to another win.
FEARSOME FALL
In fall 2019, USC had Trojans win at least one individual title at five out of seven tournaments competed in. In addition, two Trojan freshmen reached tournament title matches:
SINGLES
Daniel Cukierman -— Oracle ITA Masters champion
Mor Bulis — Milwaukee Tennis Classic champion
Brandon Holt — Battle in the Bay champion
Stefan Dostanic — ITA Southwest Regional finalist
Ryder Jackson — SoCal Intercollegiate finalist
DOUBLES
Brandon Holt / Riley Smith — ITA Southwest Regional champions
Stefan Dostanic / Brandon Holt — Battle in the Bay champions
BY THE NUMBERS
USC's winningest player to date is top-ranked Daniel Cukierman, who has racked up 26 singles wins to beat out teammates Mor Bulis with 22 wins and Ryder Jackson with 19. In doubles, Cukierman and Riley Smith lead the pack with 10 wins so far.
LAST SEASON
USC went 22-8 overall last year with a run to the NCAA Round of 16, finishing the 2019 season ranked No. 8 in the nation while also boasting honors as the Pac-12 Tournament Champion. In earning a No. 5 seed and reaching the NCAA Singles Quartefinals, Brandon Holt closed out his junior campaign as an ITA All-American once again, along with status as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Holt was joined on the All-Pac-12 awards list by fellow first-teamer Daniel Cukierman, with Laurens Verboven earning second-team honors and Tanner Smith on the honorable mention list. Holt, Cukierman and Tanner Smith all earned a place in the NCAA Singles draw and secured first-round wins. Additionally Holt paired with Riley Smith in the NCAA Doubles draw.
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