Men's Tennis
    USC Men's Tennis Punches Ticket to NCAA Round of 16
    No. 8 USC finishes off Minnesota 4-0.
    Junior Robert Farah won his singles and doubles matches today against Minnesota.
    Junior Robert Farah won his singles and doubles matches today against Minnesota.

    May 9, 2009

    No. 8 USC looked strong in victory over Minnesota on Saturday (May 9) afternoon at Marks Stadium. With the win, USC's overall record moves to 21-5 as they advance to the round of 16 to take place on May 15 in College Station, Texas. Minnesota finishes the season at 19-8.

    In doubles the Trojans were led by the pairing of #4 doubles squad Robert Farah/Steve Johnson who defeated Tobias Wernet/Michael Sicora 8-4 out of the No. spot. Finishing next and clenching the doubles point for the Trojans was No. 3 Matt Kecki/Jaak Poldma who defeated Sebastian Gallego/Julian Dehn 8-5.

    All the singles matches started close, but USC freshman No. 6 Daniel Nguyen, led the way by taking care of his opponent, Phillip Arndt 6-1, 6-1. Next up for the Trojans was #8 Robert Farah who finished off Ishay Hadash 6-3, 5-2 from the No. 1 spot. Sophomore Jaak Poldma put away the match for the Trojans by completing a 6-4, 6-2 win over Minnesota's Sebastian Gallego from the No. 3 spot. Freshman Steve Johnson was another standout on the day, as he was up 6-3, 5-2 from the No. 2 spot against Tobias Wernet when the match was suspended.

    Up next for the USC is a matchup against Pac-10 rival Stanford who is ranked No. 9, right behind the Trojans. The two split the regular season series, with USC losing at home but redeeming themselves on the road at Stanford. The match will be played on Thursday, May 14 at 10 a.m. PT in College Station, Texas.

    No. 8 USC 4, Minnesota 0

    Doubles

    (1) Robert Farah/Steve Johnson def. Tobias Wernet/Michael Sicora - 8-4

    (2) Abdullah Magdas/Daniel Nguyen vs. Phillip Arndt/Ishay Hadash - 6-5 Susp.

    (3) Matt Kecki/Jaak Poldma def. Sebastian Gallego/Julian Dehn - 8-5

    USC wins 2-0

    Order of Finish: 1, 3*

    Singles

    (1) Robert Farah def. Ishay Hadash - 6-3, 6-2

    (2) Steve Johnson vs. Tobias Wernet - 6-3, 5-2 Susp.

    (3) Jaak Poldma def. Sebastian Gallego - 6-4, 6-2

    (4) Abdullah Magdas vs. Dino Bilankov - 4-6, 2-5 Susp.

    (5) Matt Kecki vs. Julian Dehn - 7-5, 2-2 Susp.

    (6) Daniel Nguyen def. Phillip Arndt - 6-1, 6-1

    Order of Finish: 6, 1, 3*

    USC wins 4-0