Univ. of Southern California Team Page
BERKELEY, CALIF. – The No. 3 USC men's tennis team shook of rain delays and interruptions to stand strong in another Pac-10 win. The Trojans took a trip to Berkeley and locked in on their ninth straight victory with a 4-1 win over the Bears on Saturday afternoon. USC improves to 16-2 overall and is now 2-0 in Pac-10 action with the win.
Due to a delay because of inclement court conditions and the possibility of further rain, the teams agreed to play singles matches first. In a marquee matchup at the top court, Cal's #15 Pedro Zerbini faced the nation’s top-rated player in USC's Steve Johnson. The duo traded barbs in the first set, but Johnson earned a break to take a 6-3 win before he blanked Zerbini in the second, 6-0, to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the match.
USC went ahead 2-0 when #53 Ray Sarmiento took out #119 Christoffer Konigsfeldt 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 4 position and claimed a 3-0 lead as Emilio Gomez edged Cal's Ben McLachlan 7-6 (4), 7-5 on court five.
Cal got on the board with a three-setter when USC's #24 Daniel Nguyen fell to Nick Andrews 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 on court three, but the Trojans closed the books when Michael Grant secured a three-set win, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, over Bozhidar Katsarov at court six. With the match decided, play was suspended without a result at court two.
The Trojans now return home in a continuation of Pac-10 action. USC will first host Oregon in a 1:30 p.m. match on Friday (April 1) before taking on Washington at 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 2) at Marks Stadium.
#3 USC 4, #12 California 1
Hellman Tennis Complex | Berkeley, Calif.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
SINGLES
(1) #1 Steve Johnson (USC) def. #15 Pedro Zerbini (CAL) 6-3, 6-0
(2) #69 Carlos Cueto (CAL) vs. #41 Jaak Poldma (USC) DNF
(3) Nick Andrews (CAL) def. #24 Daniel Nguyen (USC) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
(4) #53 Ray Sarmiento (USC) def. #119 Christoffer Konigsfeldt (CAL) 6-4, 6-3
(5) Emilio Gomez (USC) def. Ben McLachlan (CAL) 7-6(4), 7-5
(6) Michael Grant (USC) def. Bozhidar Katsarov (CAL) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 4, 5, 3, 6*, 2