LOS ANGELES, Calif. — UC Davis men's tennis took the doubles point against No. 5 USC, but was unable to convert the three needed singles matches to upset the Trojans on Friday morning.
The Aggies recorded the program's first-ever doubles match wins against the Pac-12 powerhouse, to lead the match for the first time in the five meetings between the two schools.
USC quickly won on Court 2 to start doubles play, but David Goulak and Ivan Thamma lead by a break throughout the match at No. 1 against Brandon Holt and Logan Smith. Goulak fended off break points in the final game, and came up with a big serve on a no-ad deuce point at 5-4 to bring the doubles to a 1-1 tie.
On Court 3, Chethan Swanson and Dariush Jalali delivered the performance of the day. Finding themselves in a 2-5 hole, the sophomore duo dug deep to save two match points to break serve. Swanson was the definition of clutch tennis throughout the rest of the match, as he went on to hold serve, saving a third match point with a second serve to the body on deuce to close the gap to 4-5. The Aggies were able to break serve yet again to win four straight games to go up 6-5, before USC held to force a tiebreaker to decide the doubles point.
In the breaker, Swanson and Jalali got off to a slow start, switching ends at 2-4. However, the Aggie pair found their groove, and hit a combination of passing shots and big serves to reel off five straight points to take the match 7-6(4), giving the Aggies their only point on the day. This is the only time this season that USC has not won the doubles point, and UC Davis is now 6-0 in doubles points this year. In 2018, USC had only dropped the doubles point in six matches out of the 29 overall, with duals against then-No. 4 UCLA (three times), then-No. 1 Wake Forest, San Francisco, and then-No. 10 Stanford.
In singles, the Trojans proved their No. 5 ranking by taking every singles match. Nil Giraldez's perfect 5-0 singles record was broken today, as he dropped his match at the No. 3 position in three sets. His opponent, freshman Mor Bullis, was also a spring addition to the roster, although the age gap spans nearly four years.
On Court 2, Goulak put up a tough fight against No. 8 Daniel Cukierman, but fell by a single break of serve in both sets.
UC Davis' second match on Friday against Hope International was postponed due to inclement weather, but has not been rescheduled at this time. The Aggies return to action next Friday, Feb. 8 at St. Mary's, beginning at 1 PM.
#5 USC 6, UC Davis 1
Feb. 1, 2019 | Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
DOUBLES
(1) David Goulak/Ivan Thamma (UCD) def. Brandon Holt/Logan Smith (USC) - 6-4
(2) Mor Bulis/Jack Jaede (USC) def. Daniel Landa/Alex Scemanenco (UCD) - 6-1
(3) Dariush Jalali/Chethan Swanson (UCD) def. Jake DeVine/Jake Sands (USC) - 7-6 (4)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
UC Davis wins doubles point.
SINGLES
(1) Brandon Holt (USC) def. Ivan Thamma (UCD) - 6-1, 6-1
(2) #8 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. David Goulak (UCD) - 6-3, 6-3
(3) Mor Bulis (USC) def. Nil Giraldez (UCD) - 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
(4) #32 Logan Smith (USC) def. Chetham Swanson (UCD) - 6-0, 7-5*
(5) Jack Jaede (USC) def. Arjith Jayaraman (UCD) - 6-4, 6-2
(6) #56 Jake DeVine (USC) def. Dariush Jalali (UCD) - 6-0, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 1, 5, 4*, 2, 3
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
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