University Southern California Trojans
Friday, January 23
Berkeley, Calif.
11:00 AM
USC
0
vs
4
Central Florida
Photo by: Kevin Kim
No. 21 USC Men's Tennis Drops Opening ITA Kickoff Match Against No. 12 UCF
January 23, 2026 | Men's Tennis
Trojans to play in consolation match on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.
No. 21 USC men's tennis saw its run at making the ITA National Team Indoor Championships halted Friday morning, dropping a 4-0 decision to No. 12 UCF in the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Hellman Tennis Complex in Berkeley, Calif.
The Trojans will remain in Berkeley for the consolation match of ITA Kickoff Weekend, facing No. 15 California tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT.
The Knights secured the doubles point with wins on courts two and one after USC picked up an early victory on court three. Freshman Max Exsted and sophomore Nathan Trouve struck first for the Trojans with a 6-4 win over Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira on court three, but UCF evened the doubles race with a 6-2 decision on court two before clinching the point with a tiebreak victory on court one.
In singles play, UCF earned straight-set wins on courts three, six and one to close out the dual. The first singles point came on court three, where Mehdi Benchakroun defeated senior Jack McCarthy, 7-5, 6-1. Clement Lemire followed with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Andrin Casanova on court six, putting the Knights one point away from the match.
The clincher came on court one, where Yassine Dlimi edged Branko Djuric in a pair of tight sets, 7-5, 7-5. Three additional singles matches were left unfinished at the time of the clinch.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 2-2 on the season.
The Trojans will remain in Berkeley for the consolation match of ITA Kickoff Weekend, facing No. 15 California tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT.
The Knights secured the doubles point with wins on courts two and one after USC picked up an early victory on court three. Freshman Max Exsted and sophomore Nathan Trouve struck first for the Trojans with a 6-4 win over Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira on court three, but UCF evened the doubles race with a 6-2 decision on court two before clinching the point with a tiebreak victory on court one.
In singles play, UCF earned straight-set wins on courts three, six and one to close out the dual. The first singles point came on court three, where Mehdi Benchakroun defeated senior Jack McCarthy, 7-5, 6-1. Clement Lemire followed with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Andrin Casanova on court six, putting the Knights one point away from the match.
The clincher came on court one, where Yassine Dlimi edged Branko Djuric in a pair of tight sets, 7-5, 7-5. Three additional singles matches were left unfinished at the time of the clinch.
With the loss, the Trojans drop to 2-2 on the season.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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