Univ. of Southern California Team Page

The No. 1 USC men's tennis team is back in town to set up for a Saturday doubleheader at Marks Stadium. The undefeated Trojans (5-0) will host UC Irvine at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 and then turn right around and take on San Diego State at 6:30 p.m. that same evening.

ITA RANKINGS UPDATES
The Trojans --- winners of five NCAA Championships in the past six years and the nation's leader with 21 total titles -- opened their 2015 campaign ranked No. 1 in the nation. In the latest set of national rankings (Feb. 3), USC remains locked in as the top team in the land. USC also boasts the top-ranked doubles team in the nation, with seniors Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz tabbed at #1 in the most recent individual rankings, released Jan. 6. Yannick Hanfmann also is USC's highest ranked singles player, weighing in at #3 in the nation as he continues his senior season. Fellow senior Jonny Wang joins Hanfmann in the top-10, ranked at a career-best #8 in the nation in singles. Joining that pair in the singles are #58 Nick Crystal, #68 Roberto Quiroz and #104 Max de Vroome.

LAST WEEK
USC swept up two top-10 wins last week in revisiting the site of its 2014 NCAA Championship with action in Athens, Ga., for the 2015 Pac-12/SEC Showdown. There, the top-ranked Trojans topped No. 17 Florida 5-2 before shutting down host No. 7 Georgia 4-0. The opening matchup with the Gators saw the Trojans wake up and snag the first win on a 6-4 upset victory by USC's Max de Vroome and Eric Johnson over Florida's #49 Lipman/Orkin on court two. At the No. 1 spot, USC's top-ranked doubles duo of Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz saw themselves tangled up and heading into a tiebreaker against Florida's #32 Hidalgo/Watson. The Trojans would prevail in pulling of the tiebreak win for a 7-6 (5) decision that pocketed the first point of the match for the Trojans and suspended play on court three. Singles action was another tough test. A string of three-set battles ensued there, although USC's #68 Roberto Quiroz was able to hit the finish line first with a straight-set win on court two over #81 Elliott Orkin on a 6-2, 7-5 decision. That pumped USC ahead 2-0 in the match. On court one, USC's #3 Yannick Hanfmannhad slipped up in his first set against Florida's #34 Maxx Lipman, but the Trojan found a groove in the next set and stayed on pace for an eventual 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 comeback that pulled USC to a 3-0 advantage. The Gators would rally back and make it 3-2 next, though. Buoyed by tiebreak wins in the second set on both courts three and four, the Gators rang up a pair of three-set comebacks of their own. At the No. 3 position, Florida's #50 Diego Hidalgo bounced back to beat USC's #8 Jonny Wang 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 and make it 3-1. Then, Florida's Gordon Watson made a similar statement, and went on to cap his win over USC's Eric Johnson with another tiebreak win for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) comeback that pulled the Gators within one at 3-2. While all those three-set battles were broiling, the No. 5 singles match was able to get started once court one cleared. With only four indoor courts available, the No. 5 and No. 6 matches were delayed in their starts. But once USC's #58 Nick Crystal got to his court, the sophomore was ready to make his mark. Crystal ripped through to a 6-2, 7-5 win over Oliver Landert to secure victory for the Trojans, now up 4-2 in the match. Rob Bellamy's No. 6 singles match would move outdoors to be completed, while the second dual match of the day between UCLA and Georgia got started up indoors. Out in the fresh air, Bellamy would pick up a 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) victory over Jordan Beluga to wrap the match score as a 5-2 USC win. The next afternoon against the host Bulldogs, USC again showed its comfort level in Athens by striking quickly in doubles. Sparked by a 6-2 win by top-ranked USC pair Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz over UGA's #16 team of Oosterbaan/Wagland, the Trojans kept firing off wins. Fellow NCAA vets Max de Vroome and Eric Johnsonwould team up on court two for a 6-3 win over UGA's #34 Diaz/Smith, and that had USC leading its host 1-0 out of the gates. In singles, Hanfmann and Quiroz again hit the finish line first. Both members of the 2012 and 2014 championship teams in Athens, the seniors made themselves at home in Georgia's indoor facility once again. #68 Quiroz drummed up the first singles win on a 7-5, 6-2 upset of #15 Nathan Pasha on court two to make it 2-0 Trojans. #3 Hanfmann, meanwhile, was up against #32 Wayne Montgomery on court one, and the USC senior put his team in position for victory with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win there. Fellow senior Eric Johnson also was in familiar territory in Athens. He'd get the clincher on a three-set battle in which he took down Georgia's #101 Nick Wood with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 decision that put a stop to the match with the Trojans holding that 4-0 victory.

SCOUTING UCI
The unranked Anteaters are 2-5 overall after a 4-0 loss to UCLA in their last match. UC Irvine has no players ranked nationally in singles or doubles. USC is 42-3 all-time against the Anteaters in a series dating back to 1969. USC last beat UCI 6-1 in a dual match played at Marks Stadium in 2013.

SCOUTING SDSU
The unranked Aztecs enter the week 3-2 overall with a match against UCLA on tap before facing the Trojans. SDSU has no players ranked nationally in singles or doubles. USC is 21-0 all-time against the Anteaters in a series dating back to 1976. USC last beat the Aztecs 7-0 in a dual match played at Marks Stadium last year.

ROBERTO RULES IN ATHENS
USC senior Roberto Quiroz secured his fifth career selection as the Pac-12 Player of the Week with a powerful performance in Athens, Ga., at the Pac-12/SEC Showdown. Quiroz was victorious across the board in USC's winning weekend. The senior whipped up doubles wins in both matches to help USC pocket the first point in both eventual Trojan wins. The momentum he gathered up in doubles would propel Quiroz to two quick straight-set victories in singles. Against Florida's #81 Elliott Orkin, Quiroz' 6-2, 7-5 win lifted USC to a 2-0 lead over the Gators, en route to a final 5-2 victory. The next day, Quiroz whipped up the first singles win for the Trojans once again. This one was a big one, as the #68 Quiroz upset Georgia's #15 Nathan Pasha with a 7-5, 6-2 win to again put USC ahead 2-0 on the way to a final 4-0 shutout of the Bulldogs from his court two spot. The USC men are now 5-0 overall with the winning road trip. Quiroz is now 10-2 overall in singles play and is 2-0 in dual matches.

CRYSTAL SHINES THROUGH
Nick Crystal pinned up two powerful singles wins to help drive the Trojans through two sweeps of opponents at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Crystal also was victorious in his doubles match vs. Louisiana alongside Connor Farren to help spark USC in its opening win over the weekend and push him on to a selection as the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Jan. 26. It's the first career honor for Crystal, and he's the first Trojan to win the award this season. Crystal was the first to win his singles match on both days, taking USC to a 2-0 lead against #73 Louisiana and then also against #57 Santa Clara. Crystal stands as USC's winningest player to date this season, now holding a 14-3 overall record in singles play. He's also now 3-0 in dual matches thanks to his efforts in helping USC win a place at the upcoming ITA National Team Indoor Championships after this week's wins at ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

2015 TROJANS AT A GLANCE
Tthe Trojans enter 2015 looking to add to their growing collection of recent NCAA championships. USC's fifth title in the past six years netted the university its 100th all-time NCAA Championship last year. The 2015 Trojans are certainly up to the task of defending that crown, thanks in part to a set of five Trojans who opened the season in the national singles rankings as well as the top-ranked doubles team in the land. USC seniors Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz began 2015 as the nation's #1 pair, standing as the 2014 ITA National Indoor doubles champs and finalists at the ITA All-American in the fall. Both All-Americans, the seniors also appear on the singles list. Hanfmann reigns supreme as the highest ranking Trojan of them all, standing out at #3 in the nation. He reached the singles final at the ITA All-American and reached the quarterfinals at the ITA National Indoors. Next in line is another USC senior. Jonny Wang enjoys easily his highest post of his Trojan career, ranking #8 in the nation after a powerful fall campaign. Wang was a finalist at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships and reached the Round of 16 at the ITA All-American and ITA National Indoors. Sophomore Nick Crystal, meanwhile, stands at #58 in the nation. He reached the final of the USTA Clay Court Invitational and swept the titles at the Battle in the Bay in the fall. Senior Roberto Quiroz was limited in his action during the fall, and picks up a #68 ranking to start the spring, having reached the Round of 32 at the ITA All-American. Rounding out the USC rankings list is junior Max de Vroome -- clincher of the 2014 NCAA Championship victory. The junior reached the ITA Southwest Regional semifinals during the fall.