The UCLA men’s tennis team defeated the University of Southern California 4-1 in a Big Ten Conference match at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on March 13. Spencer Johnson secured the deciding point for the Bruins with a third-set tiebreaker win, as two other matches were also in their third sets when play concluded.
This result is significant as it marks another victory for UCLA (now 9-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play) against its crosstown rival, which was ranked No. 25 nationally. The win also highlights Johnson’s achievement of reaching 100 career victories across singles and doubles competition.
Johnson overcame Branko Djuric with scores of 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6), completing a two-win day after earlier success in doubles. Andy Nguyen and Aadarsh Tripathi also won their singles matches for UCLA, while Nathan Trouve earned USC’s only point by defeating Rudy Quan. In doubles play, Johnson and Tripathi set an early tone with a quick lead and eventual victory over Casanova and McCarthy. Gianluca Ballotta and Emon van Loben Sels clinched the doubles point for UCLA by defeating Djuric and Connor Church.
The singles matches were closely contested, with each team winning three first sets. Nguyen was the only player to finish his match in straight sets, beating Casanova 7-5, 6-3. Tripathi added another point for UCLA with a comeback win over McCarthy. The final outcome was decided when Johnson rallied from two match points down to win four consecutive points in his tiebreaker against Djuric.
Looking ahead, the Bruins will next face Wisconsin at home on March 20 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
