University of Washington
USC
Huskies Handled By No. 2 Trojans
April 02, 2011 | Men's Tennis
April 2, 2011
LOS ANGELES - The second-ranked Trojans proved why they are the two-time defending national champions today, as they handed the 20th-ranked Huskies a 7-0 defeat at Marks Stadium. Washington falls to 1-2 in Pac-10 play with the defeat and 14-7 overall while USC has won 11 straight and goes to 18-2 on the year and 4-0 in conference.
The Huskies couldn't gain traction after losing a close doubles point. Only sophomore Marton Bots won his first set, but Michael Grant came back to win in a third set super-tiebreak. That was the lone three-setter, as USC's depth was too great. The Trojans feature four players ranked in the top-50, plus the No. 1-ranked player in the country, Steve Johnson.
Johnson faced off against Husky sophomore Kyle McMorrow, ranked 68th. Johnson was too tough on his home court, earning a 6-2, 6-3 win. The score was nearly the same at the No. 2 spot, where 36th-ranked Jaak Poldma defeated 74th-ranked Jeevan Nedunchzhiyan, 6-3, 6-2. 85th-ranked Husky senior Martin Kildahl fell at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-4, to 34th-ranked Daniel Nguyen.
Freshman Daniel Schmidt was solid at fourth singles, but couldn't catch up to 49th-ranked Ray Sarmiento. Senior Tobi Obenaus was looking to wear down Emilio Gomez late in the second set, but Gomez grabbed the final two games for a 6-1, 7-5 win.
The Trojans took the doubles point with a pair of close wins at first and second doubles. USC clinched when 47th-ranked Poldma and Sundling edged Nedunchezhihyan and McMorrow, 8-6. Obenaus and Kildahl then went to an early tiebreak against Gomez and Johnson, but the Trojan duo came out ahead. Bots and Schmidt saw their eight-match win streak at third doubles ended, 8-3, by Nguyen and Sarmiento.
Washington returns home next weekend for two more Top-20 battles, as Stanford comes to Seattle on Friday, April 8, and California follows on Saturday, April 9.
Washington Men's Tennis
April 2, 2011 - Seattle, Wash.
Marks Stadium
No. 2 USC 7, No. 20 Washington 0
Doubles
1) (47) Poldma/Sundling (USC) def. (31) McMorrow/Nedunchezhiyan (UW), 8-6
2) Gomez/Johnson (USC) def. (69) Kildahl/Obenaus (UW), 8-7
3) Nguyen/Sarmiento (USC) def. Bots/Schmidt (UW), 8-3
Singles
1) (1) Steve Johnson (USC) def. (68) Kyle McMorrow (UW), 6-2, 6-3
2) (36) Jaak Poldma (USC) def. (74) Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (UW), 6-3, 6-2
3) (34) Daniel Nguyen (USC) def. (85) Martin Kildahl (UW), 6-1, 6-4
4) (49) Ray Sarmiento (USC) def. Daniel Schmidt (UW), 6-3, 6-4
5) Emilio Gomez (USC) def. Tobi Obenaus (UW), 6-1, 7-5
6) Michael Grant (USC) def. Marton Bots (UW), 4-6, 6-2, (10-6)
Players Mentioned
