March 25, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.- No. 3 USC hung on for a 4-2 victory over No. 8 Stanford on Friday afternoon at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium in the Pac-10 opener for both teams.
The 1:30 p.m. start of Friday's match was delayed two hours and 15 minutes due to rain, and with more wet weather in the forecast, the teams agreed to play singles first and doubles only if needed.
Facing off for the third time already this year, USC (15-2, 1-0 Pac-10) squeaked out the victory to extend its winning streak to seven matches. Included in that winning stretch was a 5-1 victory over Stanford (8-5, 0-1 Pac-10) back on Feb. 26 in Los Angeles. However, the Cardinal is also the last team to beat the Trojans, notching a 4-3 victory on Feb. 19 in the consolation quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle.
So with both squads familiar with one another, a tight match was expected.
Stanford claimed a 1-0 lead when Greg Hirshman wasted little time in dispatching Emilio Gomez 6-1, 6-3 in his return to the No. 5 spot.
Ray Sarmiento evened the match at 1-1, checking in with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Denis Lin on court four.
In a battle of top-10 players at the top spot of the lineup, top-ranked Steve Johnson held off 10th-ranked Bradley Klahn 6-3, 6-4 to give USC a 2-1 lead.
Michael Grant followed with a critical 6-1, 1-6, 6-0 win over Matt Kandath at the No. 6 position, putting the Trojans on the brink of clinching the match at 3-1.
After taking the first set 6-3, Alex Clayton fell behind 3-0 on court three. The Cardinal senior bounced back to win the second set 7-5, chipping into USC's lead at 3-2.
That left one match remaining, with Ryan Thacher battling Jaak Poldma at No. 2. Thacher had taken the first set 7-6 (5) before Poldma stormed back to win the second frame 6-2.
Despite facing deficits of 3-1, 5-4 and 6-5, Poldma fought back to win a third-set tiebreaker 7-2.
Stanford closes out its homestand on Saturday at 1 p.m. against No. 13 UCLA. Rain is once again in the forecast.
No. 3 USC 4, No. 8 Stanford 2
SINGLES
1) No. 1 Steve Johnson (USC) d. No. 10 Bradley Klahn (STAN) 6-3, 6-4
2) No. 41 Jaak Poldma (USC) d. No. 36 Ryan Thacher (STAN) 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
3) No. 93 Alex Clayton (STAN) d. No. 24 Daniel Nguyen (USC) 6-3, 7-5
4) No. 53 Ray Sarmiento (USC) d. Denis Lin (STAN) 6-2, 6-3
5) Greg Hirshman (STAN) d. Emilio Gomez (USC) 6-1, 6-3
6) Michael Grant (USC) d. Matt Kandath (STAN) 6-1, 1-6, 6-0
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 1, 6, 3, 2