USC Tennis: Individual NCAA Championships Recap

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Doubles

Seniors Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz were the No. 2 seed heading into the doubles competition, but ran into a tough draw against Texas' Lloyd Glasspool and Soren Hess-Oleson in the Round of 32 (the first round in the doubles tournament). The pair would lose the first set 3-6, but then bounced back to win the second 6-1 to force a third and decisive set. Unfortunately Glasspool and Hess-Olesen, the eventual NCAA Doubles Champs, proved to be too much for the Trojans as Hanfmann and Quiroz lost a 2-6 decision in third that brought their doubles career to and early end. Hanfmann and Quiroz finish their 2015 doubles season with an overall record of 22-8.

Singles

Three seniors would take the court in the Round of 64 and all three passed through to the next round. Roberto Quiroz took down North Florida's Jack Findel-Hawkin 6-4, 6-3 to earn a berth in the Round of 32, Jonny Wang cruised to an easy victory with a 6-1, 6-4 decision over Samir Iftikhar of New Mexico to punch his ticket, and Yannick Hanfmann made quick work of Oklahoma's Dane Webb, delivering a 6-3 ,6-1 win.

The Round of 32 would bring much tougher competition, but the Trojans refused to back down. Jonny Wang defeated No. 2 seeded Julian Lenz of Baylor on his home court with a 6-2, 1-6, 7-5. In order to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in his career, Wang would battle back from match point in the decisive third set in order to pull off the impressive upset. Yannick Hanfmann is a USC hardcourt legend after securing the match-clinching victory for the 2012 National Title team as a freshman, and he showed why as he easily defeated freshman Christopher Eubanks of Georgia Tech with a 6-2, 6-0 win. Unfortunately, Roberto Quiroz couldn't find the same result as his teammates. Quiroz lost to Notre Dame's Quentin Monaghan in a tightly fought match that ended with a 6-4, 6-4 decision. The loss closed the book on Quiroz's singles career that saw him rack up a 122-28 all-time record.

In the Round of 16, Yannick Hanfmann faced off against No. 7 seeded Noah Rubin of Wake Forest. Rubin won the first set 6-2 and looked to be on cruise control after taking a 2-0 lead in the second. Hanfmann would storm back to force a 4-4 tie, but it was too little too late. Rubin managed a late break and then held serve to win the second set and the match with a 6-4 decision. Hanfmann ends his incredible career with a 110-34 career singles record for USC. Jonny Wang also saw his career come to a close in the Round of 16. Wang squared off against Texas Tech's Felipe Soares and would force a third set after falling behind early, but ultimately fell 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Wang put together a 96-32 career singles record in his four years as a Trojan.

All three seniors, Quiroz, Wang, and Hanfmann, finish their USC careers with impressive records and were integral parts of the Men's team that won two National Championships during their time at Mark's Stadium.

WOMEN

Doubles

The Women of Troy had two doubles teams in action in Waco, Texas this past weekend. One would make it past the Round of 32, the other would not. Junior Giuliana Olmos was paired up with senior Zoe Scandalis and found success with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Nevada's Blaga Delic and Sheila Morales-Hidalgo. Senior Sabrina Santamaria won the 2013 Doubles Championship with teammate Kaitlyn Christian, but was unable to replicate that success once again in 2015. Teamed up with sophomore Zoe Katz, the duo battled UNC's Jamie Loeb and Caroline Price in the Round of 32. Despite winning the first set, Santamaria and Katz ultimately fell 2-6 6-2, 6-2 to end their 2015 season. The pair end with a 13-6 overall record together and Santamaria ends her doubles career with a 97-25 overall record to go with the aforementioned NCAA Championship.

In the Round of 16, Olmos and Scandalis faced off against No. 4 seeded Beatrice Gumulya and Jessy Rompies of Clemson. Unfortunately, the Tigers would get the best of the Trojans as the Women of Troy lost in a 6-4, 6-3 decision. During their 2015 campaign, Olmos and Scandalis held a 19-9 overall record together and had a 45-17 combined record in three seasons as doubles teammates.

Singles

The Trojan ladies mostly found early success in the Round of 64. Freshman phenom Madison Westby made her first appearance in the NCAA singles draw and did not disappoint. Westby faced Florida's Brianna Morgan and pulled out a hard-fought 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 victory in three sets. Sabrina Santamaria defeated William and Mary's Leeza Nemichinov with ease, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win to earn a spot in the Round of 32. Giuliana Olmos also jumped out to an early lead over Vandebilt's Astra Sharma with a 6-1 first set win before Sharma retired in the second to give Olmos the win. The only Trojan to not advance to the Round of 32 was senior Zoe Scandalis. She drew No. 7 seeded Jamie Loeb of UNC and, despite her best efforts, fell 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to the Tar Heel. The loss ended Scandalis' singles career and gave her a 108-48 all-time record for the Trojans.

The Round of 32 would not be as kind to the Women of Troy. Madison Westby faced a tough draw against Baylor's Ema Burgic on the Bears' home court. Westby held her own, winning the second set to force a third, but ultimately fell 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 to end her season with a 25-11 overall singles record. Giuliana Olmos would also see her season end early, losing to Rice's Natalie Beazant in a 6-2, 6-4 decision. Olmos ends her junior year as the Trojan's winningest singles player in 2015 with a 38-13 overall record. The lone bright spot of the Round of 32 would be Sabrina Santamaria. She squared off against Florida's Belinda Woolcock and pulled out a decisive 6-3, 6-3 victory to advance to the Round of 16.

However, Santamaria's run would come to a close the very next day after drawing the top ranked and No. 1 seeded Robin Anderson. Anderson defeated Santamaria 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the Quarterfinals and put an end to the senior's decorated career at USC. Santamaria finished her Trojan tenure with a 96-25 career singles record, not to mention an NCAA Doubles Championship and a Pac-12 Player of the year award from 2013.

All in all, the Men and Women of Troy fought valiantly in Waco, but eventually came up short of their NCAA Championship aspirations. The conclusion of the 2015 season brings to an end the careers of many high-profile Trojan tennis stars including Hanfmann, Quiroz, Wang, Scandalis, and Santamaria. While they might not play in the Coliseum on Saturdays, they've accomplished incredible things during their time at USC and more than deserve to be celebrated for being great Trojans.

Fight On!