USC men take home second straight title
Posted June 1, 2010 at 7:14 pm in Sports, Tennis
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Loading ...The lyrics to a song called “Ali in the Jungle” begins with the opening statement: It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
For the USC men’s tennis team, that statement could not fit the script any better as the Trojans rallied from two doubles losses against the No. 2 seeded Tennessee Volunteers to win the 2010 NCAA championship.
Jubilation · Sophomore Daniel Nguyen (middle) was named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after a title-clinching win over Tennessee’s Tennys Sandgren. After losing the first set, Nguyen came back to dominate the second and third sets to win. - Courtesy USC Sports Information
“We certainly showed the heart of a champion,” coach Peter Smith said. “When it comes tournament time, we play the whole thing to peak at this moment and that’s exactly what we did.”
The Volunteers came into the night searching for their first NCAA title and also riding a 21-match winning streak.
And that momentum carried over to doubles play where they put the Trojans in a hole, winning both matches and also breaking senior Robert Farah and sophomore Steve Johnson 17-game doubles match winning streak in the process.
“They were just too good for us in doubles,” Smith said. “We were either going to be champions or not.”
But the tide would soon turn in singles match play when Johnson defeated Tennessee’s Boris Conkic, 6-3, 6-2.
Johnson’s victory gave the Trojans momentum and Farah defeated No. 1 nationally ranked Tennessee player J.P. Smith, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Junior Peter Lucassen brought the Trojans one step closer to a national title by defeating Matteo Fago, 6-4, 6-3.
The stage was set for sophomore Daniel Nguyen but he lost the first set to Tennys Sandgren.
“I was definitely a little nervous in the beginning but I just stayed on there and fought out there,” Nguyen said.
And fight he did as Nguyen won 12 of the next 13 sets, defeating Sandgren, 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-0, to clinch the title for the Trojans.
“We got down in doubles but I never doubted our team that we could go out and win the four singles and we came out strong and finished strong,” Johnson said.
For Nguyen’s play during the tournament, he was named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Other Trojans earning NCAA All-Tournament Team honors were Farah and Johnson (No. 1 doubles), Nguyen and freshman JT Sundling (No. 2 doubles), Farah (No. 1 singles), Johnson (No. 2 singles), Nguyen (No. 4 singles) and Lucassen (No. 6 singles).
With the win, the Trojans captured their 18th NCAA men’s tennis championship overall and first back-to-back titles since the 1993-1994 seasons.
“It’s players that win it,” Smith said. “Those kids are gutty and they’re talented and they’re able to finish.”
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