LOS ANGELES — The No. 1 USC men’s tennis team collected head coach Brett Masi’s 200th career win in the morning and added another victory for good measure as the Trojans were victorious in 7-0 sweeps of visiting Saint Mary’s and UC Irvine in today’s doubleheader at Marks Stadium. The victory over the Gaels marked Masi’s 200th win as a head coach. This is Masi’s second year at the helm at USC and it’s his 12th season overall as a head coach. Now 201-93 overall in his career, Masi has his Trojans ranked No. 1 in the nation and boasting a perfect 5-0 record so far in 2021.
Against Saint Mary’s, USC scooped up the first point of the day with the Smith brothers combining forces for the first time as Trojans to set USC off on a winning note. Colter and Riley Smith whipped up a 6-2 win on court two in doubles, while USC’s pairs at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots both closed in on their finish lines. At the top spot it was Daniel Cukierman and Stefan Dostanic who closed the deal with a 6-3 win to pocket the doubles point for the Trojans with teammates Mor Bulis and Lodewijk Weststrate just moments away from a finish on court three.
That brought up singles action, where freshman Lodewijk Weststrate would take no prisoners in thumping out a 6-0, 6-0 win over Sebastian Grijalva on court four to keep the momentum chugging along for the Trojans. Jake Sands would pin up a similarly dominant victory on court five with his 6-1, 6-0 decision over Matis Bot, and it was a 3-0 USC lead. Coming through with the clincher was #104 Stefan Dostanic at the No. 2 spot. He’d claim a 6-1, 6-1 win over Fabian Roensdorf to lock in the win and secure head coach Brett Masi’s 200th career victory as a head coach.
The match played on, though, with #1 Daniel Cukierman netting a late break in the first set and an early one in the second to pass up James Watt for a 7-5, 6-4 win at the top slot that made it 5-0 Trojans. On court three, #26 Mor Bulis captured USC’s sixth point on a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-2) comeback effort to beat SMC’s Karlo Divkovic. Moments later, freshman Colter Smith topped things off for the Trojans with a 7-5, 6-3 win on court six over Boris Reckow to wrap up the 7-0 decision over the Gaels.
A couple hours later, the Trojans would take the courts again to take on UC Irvine. On court three, USC’s freshman tandem of Colter Smith and Lodewijk Weststrate stormed to a 6-4 win to give the Trojans an early lift. The other two courts were a much different story, with USC down a break in both until both Trojan pairs got back on top of their respective opponents. In a bang-bang finish, USC collected match points just a second apart, making it a USC doubles sweep. At the No. 2 spot it was #5 Mor Bulis and Stefan Dostanic who hit the finish line just a heartbeat ahead of teammates Bradley Frye and Riley Smith on court one as both pairs claimed 7-5 victories to move on through to singles with a 1-0 USC lead.
USC would snag the first sets down the line against the Anteaters, with Bradley Frye hammering out the first win of that segment with his 6-2, 6-1 victory over Thomas Smart. At the No. 2 spot for the first time in his Trojan career, #104 Stefan Dostanic ripped through to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jeremy Merville to make it 3-0 USC and teeing up Lodewijk Weststrate for the clincher. The freshman knocked out a 6-0, 6-3 win from court five to beat Matthew Sah and secure the second win of the day for the Trojans.
As competition continued, Jake Sands made it a winning day for himself as well with a 6-3, 6-2 win on court six over Ali Amari. Next, in his USC debut at the No. 1 singles spot, senior Riley Smith scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Bjorn Hoffman. And in the capper to the day’s action, #26 Mor Bulis pinned up a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Mark Peneff on court three to put a bow on another 7-0 sweep for the Trojans.
Next up for USC is another home match, as the Trojans are set to host San Diego State at 12 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 7) at Marks Stadium.
#1 USC 7, Saint Mary’s 0
Feb. 5, 2021 | Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
DOUBLES
(1) Cukierman/Dostanic (USC) def. Reckow/Watt (SMC) - 6-3
(2) Smith/Smith (USC) def. Kesaris/Roensdorf (SMC) - 6-2
(3) Bulis/Weststrate (USC) vs. Bot/Divkovic (SMC) - 5-3 susp.
Order of finish: 2, 1
USC wins doubles point.
SINGLES
(1) #1 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. James Watt (SMC) - 7-5, 6-4
(2) #104 Stefan Dostanic (USC) def. Fabian Roensdorf (SMC) - 6-1, 6-1*
(3) #26 Mor Bulis (USC) def. Karlo Divkovic (SMC) - 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-2)
(4) Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) def. Sebastian Grijalva (SMC) - 6-0, 6-0
(5) Jake Sands (USC) def. Matis Bot (SMC) - 6-1, 6-0
(6) Colter Smith (USC) def. Boris Reckow (SMC) - 7-5, 6-3
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2*, 1, 3, 6
#1 USC 7, UC Irvine 0
Feb. 5, 2021 | Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
DOUBLES
(1) Frye/R. Smith (USC) def. Hoffman/Man Son Hi (UCI) - 7-5
(2) #50 Bulis/Dostanic (USC) def. Peneff/Smart (UCI) - 7-5
(3) C. Smith/Weststrate (USC) def. Sah/Star (UCI) - 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
USC wins doubles point.
SINGLES
(1) #19 Riley Smith (USC) def. Bjorn Hoffman (UCI) - 6-3, 6-4
(2) #104 Stefan Dostanic (USC) def. Jeremy Merville (UCI) - 6-3, 6-1
(3) #26 Mor Bulis (USC) def. Mark Peneff (UCI) - 6-1, 6-4
(4) Bradley Frye (USC) def. Thomas Smart (UCI) - 6-2, 6-1
(5) Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) def. Matthew Sah (UCI) - 6-0, 6-3*
(6) Jake Sands (USC) def. Ali Amari (UCI) - 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5*, 6, 1, 3
