Dec. 12, 2011

USC senior Daniel Nguyen has locked in on the clinching match for the past two NCAA Team Championships for the three-time defending champ Trojans, and this past weekend in France he tapped into those clutch skills in helping Team USA beat host France 4-3 in the championship of the Master'U BNP Paribas.

The U.S. team of the top American collegians went up against France in the final for the third straight year and fell behind 3-1 in singles play. In doubles, however, Nguyen had two matches on his plate, first teaming up with Virginia's Jarmere Jenkins -- an opponent of the Trojans' in the past two NCAA Tournaments -- for a straight-set win that boosted up the USA's chances. Nguyen then turned around and stepped up for a mixed doubles match alongside fellow Pac-12 player Jacqueline Cako of ASU. The Trojan-Sun Devil duo would overpower their French opponents to the tune of a match-clinching 6-4, 6-1 victory that sewed up a 4-3 win for Team USA to claim its second Master'U BNP Paribas championship in the past three years.

Nguyen also picked up a singles win in the quarterfinal against Germany and added two doubles wins -- with Georgia's Wil Spencer and with Cako -- against Belgium in the semifinals.

The sixth annual Master'U BNP Paribas united collegiate tennis players from around the world. The eight-team competition featured six student-athletes and two head coaches from ITA member schools who represented the United States against their peers.

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