Men's Tennis | January 22, 2019

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — The No. 5 USC men's tennis team showed resilience under a warm Australian sun today, gutting out a 4-0 victory over No. 25 South Carolina on the courts of the Australian Open in Melbourne. The Trojans snagged a quick doubles point and looked in position for a swift string of singles wins until the Gamecocks dug in and forced three sets on four courts. USC was able to net straight-set wins from freshman Jake Sands and sophomore Daniel Cukierman before things got tangled, and then Laurens Verboven came through with the clincher to wrap USC's memorable visit to Melbourne and get USC a 1-0 start to the 2019 campaign.

The doubles point was a quick fix for the Trojans, who rattled off two swift victories to pocket a 1-0 lead. At the No. 1 spot, Brandon Holt and Riley Smith peeled out to a 6-1 win, putting Daniel Cukierman and Bradley Frye in position to snag the opening point. The sophomore-freshman duo locked in with a 6-2 victory on court three, and the Trojans were off to singles play with the 1-0 advantage in their court.

In singles, USC claimed first sets down the line, but the Gamecocks fired back on four courts. At the No. 6 spot, however, USC freshman Jake Sands held firm and scored USC's first singles win of the day on a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jake Beasley to make it 2-0 Trojans. Next, USC's #8 Daniel Cukierman sidestepped a third and closed out a 6-2, 7-5 win over South Carolina's Yancy Davis on court two, and USC was up 3-0 with four courts tangled up in third sets. 

On court one, Brandon Holt rebounded from dropping the first set in a tiebreaker against #7 Paul Jubb, and the top guns would continue to battle in the third while the finish line neared on other courts. Jack Jaede and Riley Smith were both in tight third sets on courts four and five, respectively, while #19 Laurens Verboven also was in lockstep with South Carolina's Daniel Rodrigues on court three. Finally, Verboven found the finishing touch, getting one last break to clinch the match on his 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win. That suspended the remaining matches, and sends USC home to Los Angeles with a key win to build momentum in the early goings of the 2019 season.

#5 USC 4, #25 South Carolina 0
Jan. 21, 2019 | Melbourne, Australia
DOUBLES
(1) Holt/R. Smith (USC) def. Dennis/Lambling (SC) — 6-1
(2) Jaede/Verboven (USC) vs. Jubb/Rodrigues (SC) — 4-3 susp.
(3) Cukierman/Frye (USC) def. Beasley/Brailovsky (SC) — 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 3
USC wins doubles point
SINGLES
(1) Brandon Holt (USC) vs. #7 Paul Jubb (SC) — 6-7 (6), 6-2, 4-4 susp.
(2) #8 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) — 6-2, 7-5
(3) #19 Laurens Verboven (USC) def. Daniel Rodrigues (SC) — 6-4, 2-6, 6-4*
(4) Jack Jaede (USC) vs. Raphael Lambling (SC) — 6-0, 4-6, 5-4 susp.
(5) Riley Smith (USC) vs. #72 Joseph Brailovsky (SC) — 6-3, 4-6, 5-5 susp.
(6) Jake Sands (USC) def. Jake Beasley (SC) — 7-5, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 2, 3*