Toreros Triumph Over USC in 4-1 Victory, Ending 21-Match Losing Streak
The 7th ranked San Diego men’s tennis team delivered a strong performance on Thursday, defeating 21st ranked USC 4-1 in a crucial victory. This marked the Toreros’ first win over the Trojans since 2006, snapping a 21-match losing streak against the 21-time national champions.
Despite missing their number one singles player, Oliver Tarvet, San Diego showed resilience, starting with a solid performance in the doubles matches. Iiro Vasa and Neo Niedner secured the first win with a 6-2 scoreline. Although Stian Klaassen and Savriyan Danilov fell 4-6 on court one, Nikhil Niranjan and Adrien Berrut clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory, giving USD a 1-0 lead.
Head coach Ryan Keckley praised his team’s determination after the match. “I’m incredibly proud of this Torero team for their fight and grit,” he said. “To come up with the goods against USC on a short week says a lot about the leadership and heart of this group. Our experience and home court advantage paid off in the end, with senior leader Iiro Vasa clinching the match.”
In singles play, the Toreros faced early challenges, with three players losing the first set. However, the team bounced back, forcing third sets on two of those courts. Niedner was the first to finish, defeating his opponent 6-4, 6-3 to extend USD’s lead to 2-0.
Niranjan, filling in for Tarvet at number six singles, lost 7-5, 6-2. But Klaassen responded with a critical 7-5 tiebreaker win in set one, followed by a 6-4 victory in set two, bringing the score to 3-1 in favor of San Diego.
The match was clinched by Vasa, who battled back after losing the first set 7-5. He won 6-4 in both the second and third sets, securing the decisive point for the Toreros.
Although Danilov and Berrut’s matches were unfinished, they fought hard, with Danilov tied 4-4 in his third set and Berrut in a 2-3 battle before their matches were cut short.
The Toreros will return to action on March 7th, hosting the Ed Collins Invitational at the Hogan Tennis Center.
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