UCLA
USC
Bruins Take Down Trojans, 4-2
February 27, 2018 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ The latest chapter of the crosstown rivalry ended with a happy ending for the No. 4 UCLA men's tennis team, which defeated No. 11 USC Tuesday at Los Angeles Tennis Center, 4-2. With the remaining two courts locked in three-set battles, Maxime Cressy of the Bruins upset No. 112 Jack Jaede of the Trojans on Court 5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to clinch the match.
The doubles team of No. 39 Keegan Smith-Austin Rapp continued its hot play on Court 2 to get momentum on the side of the Bruins. The pair blanked the Trojan tandem of Laurens Verboven and Jack Jaede to put USC's collective back against the wall with Courts 1 and 3 still in limbo.
The Trojan pair of Tanner Smith-Daniel Cukierman, which trailed 0-4 on Court 3, charged hard on Maxime Cressy and Bryce Pereira. No. 25 Riley Smith and Brandon Holt, meanwhile, was unable to bury No. 37 Bruins Evan Zhu and Martin Redlicki after leading by a 5-2 score. The defending Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year, in fact, was able to take a 6-5 lead on the top court with the doubles point still in doubt. Ultimately, it was Cressy-Pereira that provided the heroics, as the pair held off Smith-Cukierman, 7-5.
Freshman Connor Hance again held his own on Court 6, taking down USC's Jake DeVine in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. Hance improved to 8-3 on his debut dual-match campaign. While matches on Courts 2, 3 and 4 each ended in straight sets, each contest was tightly-contested. Laurens Verboven of USC, who fought back to take the opening set from No. 60 Logan Staggs, controlled the second set en route to a 7-5, 6-3 win to get the Trojans on the board.
In a back-and-forth first set, No. 72 Keegan Smith of the Bruins prevailed over Logan Smith, 7-5. The Bruin delivered in the second set, as well, putting UCLA on the cusp of victory with a 7-5, 6-4 win. The Trojans would not go easily, though, with No. 68 Daniel Cukierman taking down No. 102 Evan Zhu on Court 2 in one of two all-ranked-player matchups, 6-2, 7-5.
With a Top-10 matchup between No. 3 Martin Redlicki and No. 8 Brandon Holt coming down to the wire, Cressy worked to dispatch Jaede. The Hermosa Beach, Calif. native jumped out to a 4-1 advantage over his Trojan counterpart and was only briefly forced to look back. In the end, a Jaede shot went wide and Cressy's teammates sprinted from Court 4 to greet him. Court 1 was unfinished with Holt leading Redlicki, 6-3, 3-6, 5-4
The Bruins and Trojans will meet again at Marks Tennis Stadium in a Pac-12 showdown April 6. This weekend, UCLA will send a contingent to the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship tournament in La Jolla, Calif. Play from the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club begins Friday and wraps up Sunday.
Tennis Match Results
USC vs UCLA
Feb 27, 2018 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#4 UCLA 4, #11 USC 2
Singles competition
1. #3 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) vs. #8 Brandon Holt (USC) 3-6, 6-3, 4-5, unfinished
2. #68 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. #102 Evan Zhu (UCLA) 6-2, 7-5
3. #72 Keegan Smith (UCLA) def. Logan Smith (USC) 7-5, 6-4
4. Laurens Verboven (USC) def. #60 Logan Staggs (UCLA) 7-5, 6-3
5. Maxime Cressy (UCLA) def. #112 Jack Jaede (USC) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. Connor Hance (UCLA) def. Jake DeVine (USC) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #37 Evan Zhu/Martin Redlicki (UCLA) vs. #25 Riley Smith/Brandon Holt (USC) 6-5, unfinished
2. #39 Keegan Smith/Austin Rapp (UCLA) def. Laurens Verboven/Jack Jaede (USC) 6-0
3. Maxime Cressy/Bryce Pereira (UCLA) def. Tanner Smith/Daniel Cukierman (USC) 7-5
Match Notes:
USC 7-3; National ranking #11
UCLA 13-2; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,3,2,5)
T-2:25
Players Mentioned
