NCAA men's tennis: UCLA, USC advance to semifinals
May 18, 2014
On April 26, the UCLA Bruins defeated their archrival, USC, for the Pac-12 men's tennis title. If both teams win on Monday, they'll face off again for a national championship.
Half of the 2014 NCAA Men's Tennis Final Four will feature Los Angeles schools. Both USC and UCLA won their Elite Eight match-ups Sunday to advance to Monday's semifinals. Here are some details.
The top-ranked Trojans powered their way into the Final Four. Unlike the previous round, they had to overcome some adversity to survive. USC dropped the doubles point, but rallied with four straight scores in singles play to top Texas 4-1. The Trojans are now a splendid 30-3 on the season, and they'll face no. 4 seed Virginia in Monday's semifinals at 2 p.m. PT.
Roberto Quiroz delivered the clincher for USC on court three, and he'll again be an integral part of the team's attack Monday as the Trojans face a familiar opponent. USC will face the Cavaliers for the fifth time in its past six trips to the NCAA tournament. The Trojans won all four prior contests.
The Bruins also are rolling. Two days after posting their third consecutive shutout of the NCAA tournament, UCLA faced more of a fight against Ohio State, but they ousted the Buckeyes for the third time in four years anyway with a 4-2 win.
Since rain was falling in Athens, the NCAA decided to send UCLA and Ohio State on a 75-minute drive to Georgia Tech's indoor tennis complex in Atlanta. That threw a slight wrench in the Bruins' plan, and they dropped the doubles point to kick off action. Baby Blue recovered in singles play, winning four of six match-ups to score a thrilling victory.
Second-seeded Oklahoma awaits the Bruins at 2 p.m. PT Monday. If both UCLA and USC win Monday they'll face each other Tuesday for the national championship.