USC Tennis

[Canyon.usc]

USC Tennis, 2022-23 Season.

Fall Season.

Congrats to Stefan Dostanic and Eryn Cayetano with a pre-season #1 rankings. Last year Dostanic ended, finished the season with a #5 rankings, while Cayetano ended, finished the season with a #3 rankings. This is awesome, the ITA, Intercollegiate Tennis Association must think highly of Stefan and Eryn. But pre-season rankings means very little, it’s only good for their ego’s. They must train, practice hard, improve on their tennis skills, keep fit and avoid injuries until 2023 late April for the conference championships and mid May for the national championships. It’s a long season for college tennis players.

Men.

9-16/28-22. Southern Intercollegiate (Team) Tournament, host UGA, Athens, Ga

USC loss all 3 matches. USC vs U.Texas, 2-5. USC vs Virginia 2-5, USC vs UGA, 2-4 (no #6 singles played out). Shocker, #1 Stefan Dostanic loss 2 of 3 matches. When the next rankings come out, Stefan will drop down, my guess to about #7. In the last 15 years, I do not recall USC men's getting hammered like this. The boys have a lot of work to do.

I'm not expecting much for this season, the talent level is about a 6 (1-10 ratings). USC has 2 top (5 stars), 1 very good (4+ star) & 3 above average players (4 stars). You need at least 6 top, 5 stars players to be successful in D-1, and one of the top 12 teams. It’s gonna be a long season. Hopefully, the boys improve a lot for the spring and main season.

I’m dumb founded. Last year, C.Masi struck out (a big fat zero) in recruiting for USA & International top players for the 2022 class. Then, I just researched for the USA 2023 class, again all the top 5 stars Blue Chip (highest ratings) and 5 stars Yellow Chip (2nd highest ratings) are all committed elsewhere, nada for C.Masi and USC. WT hell is going on! Let's hope and pray C.Masi has secretly landed top international players? But, I searched everywhere and nothing is coming up for USC's 2023 class. This is bad, the men's team can not strike out for the 2nd year in row. That would set back the men's program for the next 4 years. As it is, by getting shut out in the 2022 class has set back the men's team 2 years.

Ideal recruiting, C.Masi must land and get 2, 5 stars players every year = 7 to 8, 5 stars players in any given season. A healthy perpetual rotation of 5 stars players. That type of recruiting is essential (former USC C.Smith did that). Like clock work, freaken Stanford and UCLA are killing it, every year they always land top ranked USA players. Other powers that have an A+ annual recruiting program, landing top players: Ohio St., U.Virginia, U.Texas, Baylor, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, UGA. That's why these teams are in the top 10 rankings every year.

Tennis is unlike football, basketball, baseball where a team can be successful and win with 4 stars or under the radar players. For the top tennis D-1 colleges you must land 5 stars players, Blue or Yellow chip period. The best HS seniors-players have had a high rankings since 8-10 years old. They are tracked by the USTA from state and national tournaments at an early age. If you’re not a top player by 10 yrs old, forget about playing for any of the top, D-1 schools by 18 years old. And, these 5 stars HS players are ready to contribute as college Freshmen and be successful (unlike football where it normally takes 2 years to develop and contribute). These HS players are seasoned, tournament tough, very skilled; they have been training since 8 to 10 years old. There have been many Soph that have won the National Championships and actually a few Freshmen as well.

These young, 5 stars junior players have full parental support, backing from the USTA (training support) and even local sponsors (businesses or wealthy individuals) for some monetary support. Tennis is a very costly sport. Plus, there's mucho time invested training almost daily, all year + traveling for year round tournaments (building their rankings and high ratings). Most are home schooled by a reputable tennis scholastic academy. Kids must do, complete school work during the bigger, national tournaments that can last for up to 8 days. A nice thing, even though they are home schooled, they are allowed to play for any HS team. It's good that they are able to have some social interactions and HS team experiences with other kids.

Women.

9-16/18-22. Milwaukee Tennis Classic (Individual Tournament), hosted by Marquette U, Wis.

USC killed it in both single’s and doubles. USC’s true freshman, Madison Sieg, Connecticut, 5* Blue Chip, #5 HS national rankings won the title beating USC, Naomi Cheong, Jr, Las Vegas (was a 5 star Blue Chip in HS) in the finals. Then, both partnered for doubles and took the double’s title. This was a bigger tournament with better competition. Good early test for young Madison, her high HS rankings wasn't a fluke.

9-16/18-22. Tribe Invitational (Individual Tournament) host William & Mary College, Williamsburg, VA

Again, USC did well. USC’s true freshmen, Emma Charney, South Carolina, 5* Blue Chip, #10 HS national rankings took the title. This was a small tournament, but it’s a good win for young Emma. USC Nathalie Rodilosso, Gr MS transfer from Princeton U loss in the quarter finals. Nathalie is from New York and played #4 single's for Princeton, she adds solid depth for the team.

This is a good start for our Wahine tennis team. This 2022-23 team is young but very talented with top players, 8 deep in single’s (7, 5 stars and 1, 4+ star); very strong team. I predict they win the PAC 12 and get a high top 6 national rankings. C.Swain is a recruiting machine, she has been landing top players every year since she’s been at USC. All C.Swain has to do is mold these top talent into a championship team. She must beat Stanford and UCLA and take the PAC 12 crown once and for all. Hell, Stanford and UCLA get the very best players too. It’s gonna be a heck of 2022/23 season for the PAC 12 women’s teams.

 

[Canyon.usc]

9-26-22 Update.

Women.

** College Ranked Spotlight, individual tennis tournament, hosted by North Carolina St, 9-22 to 9-25-22. This is a big, national type tournament with most of the top college teams sending their top players.

USC did very well and had a successful tournament. USC had 3 players in the last 8 or Quarter Finals, that's awesome stuff. Told you people our Girls are very talented players; this 2022/23 is a very strong team.

1. Freshman phenom, Madison Sieg, was un-seeded, she ended up in the Finals but lost to another un-seeded player, Fiona Crawley, North Carolina, 4-6, 0-6. Last week Madison won the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. Shaka, young Sieg is ripping it up this early, pre-season tournaments.

Note. Fiona Crawley, Jr, UNC-North Carolina (from Texas) was the 2021 National Doubles Champ, played # 3 singles as a Soph. Annually, North Carolina is ranked in top 8, it's a powerhouse tennis team. Fiona was unseeded in this tournament, there were many more highly ranked players. She was under estimated by the tournament officials, she killed people winning in straight sets. In 2019 as a senior in HS, Crawley from Texas was the USA #1 ranked HS player, so she came to UNC with top credentials.

2. #1 N and #1 seed, Eryn Cayetano loss to the eventual champion, Crawley, UNC in the Quarter Finals (last 8), 2-6, 1-6. It's a disappointment for Eryn, losing in straight, convincing sets, but Crawley ripped the other opponents all the way to finals and winning the tournament.

3. Snow Han, unseeded did well. Snow made the Quarter Finals (last 8), losing to the #8 seed, Syndi Ratliff, Ohio St, 1-6, 6-3, 4-6. Snow fought and played well for 3 grueling sets. Xlent showing for USC.


** Battle of Bay, tennis tournament, hosted by the U.San Francisco, 9-23 to 9-25-22. This was a smaller, but respectable regional individual tournament. Powerhouse Pepperdine sent their top players here and did not go to the bigger, College Ranked Spotlight tournament at North Carolina St (mention above).

USC did OK.

Our Naomi Cheong #6 seed, loss in the Quarter Finals to the #3 seed and eventual Champ, Janice Tjen, Pepperdine, 6-7, 1-6. Naomi fought hard. Good job by Naomi. Naomi made the finals at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic last week, losing only to our Madison Sieg. Told you that Naomi was a very good tennis player. Last year she was hurt for most of the main season and dropped in rankings. Looks like Naomi is off to a good start and pre-season.

Our Freshman phenom, Emma Charney loss in the Rd of 16, 5-7, 6-3, 1-6. Emma is doing well this early, pre-season. Last week she took the title (Champ) in the Tribe Invitational (Individual Tournament) host William & Mary College, Williamsburg, VA.

Our McKenna Koenig and Nathalie Rodlosso (doubles) loss in the Semi Finals to the #2 seed from UGA, 5-8. Very good tournament for Koenig and Rodlosso double's team.

Looks like the Men were idle this past weekend. They were scheduled for the Battle of the Bay, San Francisco but after looking over the draw, no USC player were listed...

 

[jaycee993]

Anyone old enough like me to remember way back when they would play the Annual So Calif Intercollegiate Championships at the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena. A lot of great players played there such as Brad Gilbert, John Andrews from SC , John Austin and Elliot Teltscher from UCLA....too many I cant remember. As a fan it was a great venue . You would sit above the court from the end of the court in the shade.

 

[Canyon.usc]

Anyone old enough like me to remember way back when they would play the Annual So Calif Intercollegiate Championships at the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena. A lot of great players played there such as Brad Gilbert, John Andrews from SC , John Austin and Elliot Teltscher from UCLA....too many I cant remember. As a fan it was a great venue . You would sit above the court from the end of the court in the shade.

Are you a member? Valley Hunt Club was a very exclusive, secretive, almost close private club. Limited membership. Members included, power brokers, politicians, super wealthy old money types. Old English ancestry was a prerequisite? I heard things have loosen up and there's some diversity? There are only 7 tennis courts: 6 regular and 1 small seated stadium/main court. Small facility. I hear their fine dining restaurant is outstanding and superb.

 

[jaycee993]

Are you a member? Valley Hunt Club was a very exclusive, secretive, almost close private club. Limited membership. Members included, power brokers, politicians, super wealthy old money types. Old English ancestry was a prerequisite? I heard things have loosen up and there's some diversity? There are only 7 tennis courts: 6 regular and 1 small seated stadium/main court. Small facility. I hear their fine dining restaurant is outstanding and superb.

No not even close to being a member but I used to take lessons from Dave Reeve who used to be a top ten am. As far as your call for diversity?........when do you guys ever give up?....

 

[jaycee993]

Are you a member? Valley Hunt Club was a very exclusive, secretive, almost close private club. Limited membership. Members included, power brokers, politicians, super wealthy old money types. Old English ancestry was a prerequisite? I heard things have loosen up and there's some diversity? There are only 7 tennis courts: 6 regular and 1 small seated stadium/main court. Small facility. I hear their fine dining restaurant is outstanding and superb.

Whats wrong with an exclusive club?............You know I will put you on ignore...like a typical liberal you made this political........You are a dumb ***....Black people have exclusive clubs...you are A racist

 

[jaycee993]

Are you a member? Valley Hunt Club was a very exclusive, secretive, almost close private club. Limited membership. Members included, power brokers, politicians, super wealthy old money types. Old English ancestry was a prerequisite? I heard things have loosen up and there's some diversity? There are only 7 tennis courts: 6 regular and 1 small seated stadium/main court. Small facility. I hear their fine dining restaurant is outstanding and superb.

It was and is a private club

 

[jaycee993]

Are you a member? Valley Hunt Club was a very exclusive, secretive, almost close private club. Limited membership. Members included, power brokers, politicians, super wealthy old money types. Old English ancestry was a prerequisite? I heard things have loosen up and there's some diversity? There are only 7 tennis courts: 6 regular and 1 small seated stadium/main court. Small facility. I hear their fine dining restaurant is outstanding and superb

 

[Canyon.usc]

Bruddah, Whoa you took what I wrote all wrong. I do not know anything about the club other than something I read a long time ago (early 80's), that the club was established in the early 1900's and it was a very exclusive, private club, super wealthy white members. But the club started to accept non whites. Do not know any members nor have I been there. I simply replied to you only because I recall reading that article about the club with a faint memory about the facts and info.

Geeze, I can't understand your rant with my one paragraph about the club? If what I wrote about the club untrue, I apologize. If you look back, most of my sentences ended with ? I do not have any problems with Valley Hunt Club, other private tennis, golf or social clubs.

By the way, I am not racist, liberal, or political. I vote for candidates (no affiliation to Democratic or Republican parties) that I feel are qualified and would do good public service. I'm an American patriot and love our country. I am a practicing Christian (Catholic) laid back, rather peaceful person, uphold good values & morals and try to live a healthy life style. I try to abide by the ethics of being a gentleman, good husband, loving parent & grand parent and most of all being a good Christian (I learned all of these things from my parents). I'm white and have many good non white friends.

I'm a long time WeAreSC board member since 1999. I have been posting USC tennis news for many years. I love tennis and sports in general. Sports has been part of my life for a long time. I'm a big USC sports fan, non alumni. Anyway, sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way, but I think you misunderstood what I wrote in my reply post about the VH Club.

Peace & Aloha

 

[jaycee993]

Bruddah, Whoa you took what I wrote all wrong. I do not know anything about the club other than something I read a long time ago (early 80's), that the club was established in the early 1900's and it was a very exclusive, private club, super wealthy white members. But the club started to accept non whites. Do not know any members nor have I been there. I simply replied to you only because I recall reading that article about the club with a faint memory about the facts and info.

Geeze, I can't understand your rant with my one paragraph about the club? If what I wrote about the club untrue, I apologize. If you look back, most of my sentences ended with ? I do not have any problems with Valley Hunt Club, other private tennis, golf or social clubs.

By the way, I am not racist, liberal, or political. I vote for candidates (no affiliation to Democratic or Republican parties) that I feel are qualified and would do good public service. I'm an American patriot and love our country. I am a practicing Christian (Catholic) laid back, rather peaceful person, uphold good values & morals and try to live a healthy life style. I'm white and have many good non white friends.

I'm a long time WeAreSC board member since 1999. I have been posting USC tennis news for many years. I love tennis and sports in general. Sports has been part of my life for a long time. I'm a big USC sports fan, non alumni. Anyway, sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way, but I think you misunderstood what I wrote in my reply post about the VH Club.

Peace & Aloha

Points taken. I apologize for over reacting. I guess in this day and age of political correctness and identity politics I was disappointed that a post about tennis somehow turned into a commentary on "old english ancestry" at the club. Truth is many private clubs or even "most" private clubs have all been very selective about new members and these same clubs are still evolving to this day. I appreciate your posts about tennis as I used to play 6 days a week for many years and follow college tennis. I once watched McEnroe destroy USC's top ranked player Robert Van't Hof in an SC vs Stanford match. Robert won the NCAA singles championship. Show you how good Mac was.
cheers

 

[Canyon.usc]

10-20-22 to 1-24-22 tournament results.


USC Men’s Tennis. Southwest Regional Championships, individuals, not team tournament. 128 singles draw, big draw and 64 double’s draw. USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona St., Santa Barbara, U.San Diego, San Diego St., U. Hawaii, Loyola Marymount and others.

Singles.

** Ryan Colby, USC's talented Soph was not entered in the tournament and did not play at Pepperdine?

Stefan Dostanic, Sr #1 seed, loss in Rd 16 to former USC teammate and son of C.PSmith, Colton Smith, Soph now at U.Arizona, 1-6, 7-6, 2-6. Another disappointing pre-season tournament for Stefan. Not sure what’s up with his play in the last month? Hopefully, Stefan and C.Masi figure things out and get them fixed.

Bradley Frye, Grad/MS player, #6 seed, loss in Rd 32, 4-6, 2-6, another disappointment.

** Peter Makk, Soph, #5 seed, Won took the title beating the #3 seed UCLA, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. Shaka, Xlent tournament and Big Surprise for Peter.

My bad error: initially wrote Makk loss in the Semi Finals, 4-6, 6-7. Makk did well in the tournament, very surprising, but it’s all good. Good job.

Lodewijk Westrate, Jr, loss in Rd 64. Another disappointment. Need Westrate to contribute. He had a good Fr season and so so Soph season. Not a good start for the talented Jr.

Sam Rubell, Jr, loss in Rd 64, Sam is more of a Dbl’s specialist, surprised he made the Rd 64 in singles.

Doubles.

** Dostanic & Frye #1 seed are in the finals today, 10-24-22, Xlent. Shaka, the boys won the title, beating the #5 team from Pepperdine, 6-7, 7-5, 10-7

Rubell & Westrate loss in Rd 64.


USC Wahine Tennis, Southwest Regional Championships, individuals, not team tournament, held at U. San Diego tennis center. 128 singles draw, big draw and 64 double’s draw. USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona St., Santa Barbara, U.San Diego, San Diego St., U. Hawaii, Loyola Marymount and others.

Singles.

** Snow Han and Madison Sieg were not entered in the tournament and did not play in San Diego?

Eryn Cayetano, Sr., #1 seed, loss in Rd 16 to #9 seed from Santa Barbara, in 3 close sets, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6. Again, 3rd pre-season tournament = disappointment for Eryn. Something is up with Eryn’s game, looks like she has regressed from last year, maybe she’s hurt? C.Swain and Eryn must address her problems and fix things. Eryn should have taken the title with no problems. Shoot, this was only a regional's, the other top ranked players from Stanford, BIG 12, Big 10, ACC and SEC were not here, they were playing in their regional tournament.

Emma Chauney, Fr, #9 seed, tough & close loss in the Semi Finals to #8 seed UCLA in 3 sets, 4-6, 6-4, 1-6. Emma had an Xlent tournament, got to remember she is a true freshman. Emma was the #10 National, 5 Star Blue Chip rated HS player last year, so she is very talented player.

Grace Piper, Soph, loss in Rd 32, 1-6, 4-6. Nice tournament for Grace.

McKenna Koening, RS-Soph, loss in Rd 32. McKenna is a doubles specialist, nice surprise. Good job by McKenna.

Isabella Lee, Fr, loss in Rd 32 to the #2 seed, 5-7, 3-6 Great job by the true walk on freshman. Nice surprise for sure.

Sloane Morra, Soph, loss in Rd 64 to the #9 seed, 0-6, 3-6. Sloane a top rated HS player is going thru growing pains in College tennis.

Doubles.

Sloane Morra & Nathalin Rodilosso, loss in Rd 16 to #7 seed, 0-8. Good job and Nice surprise.

McKenna Koening & Isabella Lee, loss in the Quarter Finals (last 8 team) to the #3 seed, 6-8. Great job and Nice Surprise.

Gabriella Lee (Isabella's twin sister) & Emma Chauney, loss to #2 seed, 5-8 in Rd 16. Great job and Nice surprise.

Naomi Cheong & Grace Piper #3 seed, loss in Rd 32, 2-8. Very disappointing must clean up their doubles game.

My take on both the Men’s and Women’s teams. Dang, both USC's #1 National ranked players, Stefan Dostanic and Eryn Cayetano are not playing to their expectations and high level. Both had a Pre Season #1 NCAA rankings. They should be kicking Arse right now, but they are losing in early Rds of tournaments this pre-season. In the next rankings they will most definitely drop way down.

The other boys and players are picking up the slack which is good news. Clearly, Stefan is not in top form during this pre-season. Unless he finds his A+ game, I predict the team will come in 3rd in the PAC 12 this season.

Our girls are shaping into a top team. But, the team is gonna need Eryn’s leadership and A+ tennis game for them to take the PAC 12 title. Right now with Eryn struggling, looks like UCLA and Stanford are the favorites once again. Dam…

 

[Canyon.usc]

Women Tennis. 3 Tournaments-Results, 11-03-22 to 11-06-22

1. Dennis Rizza Classic @ UCLA, Jack Kramer Tennis Center. This was an individual tournament, regional status, 32 girls draw. Teams UCLA, Pepperdine, LMU, U.San Diego, Oregon, Cal, Santa Barbara, Arizona, Cal Poly SLO, CS Fullerton, Fresno St

Eryn Cayetano, USC #1 N, #1 seed took the title beating Stefania Rogozinski, Loyola Marymount #5 seed, #25 N, 6-4-, 6-4. Good win for Eryn. But, in the next rankings, Eryn will drop to around #10. Eryn had a somewhat disappointing pre-season, she was in a slump. The team is gonna need Cayetano's A game for any kind of success in 2023 main season. Eryn has 2 months to clean up her game.

Mckenna Koenig, RS Soph, USC loss in the semi's to Eryn, 1-6, 1-6. Another very good showing for Mckenna this pre-season. A doubles specialist, I think she has earned a spot in the 6 singles or top alternate.

2. ITA National Fall Championships, San Diego, big tournament, 32 girls draw. The 32 girls are from the 8 regional's qualified for this tournament. USC had only Madison Sieg, Fr make it. Eyrn Cayetano did not qualify, losing in the Southwest Regionals Rd 16. The top 4 players that made the Semi's from the 8 regional's tournament qualified for this tournament.

Madison won in the Rd of 32, but retired due to injuries in the Rd of 16. Too bad for Madison, but she had a very good pre-season, 10-1 record + 1 title and 1 finals. I think she will play #2 for the team and rise in national rankings. I think to #20? Madison is a true freshmen.

Fiona Crawley, U.North Carolina, Jr, #1 seed, #21 N took the title, beating Dana Frayman, Princeton, Jr, #3 N, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Crawley had a great pre-season, taking 2 major titles and should climb to #1 in the next rankings.

3. Thunderbird Invitation, Arizona St, individual round robin type tournament, small tournament.

Naomi Cheong, Jr 1-2 matches
Grace Piper, Soph 2-1 matches
Emma Charney, Fr 1-2 matches
Nathalie Rodilosso, Grad Transfer, 1-2 matches
Sloane Morra, Soph, 0-2 matches.

Shoot, our girls did not do well at this tournament. They have a lot of work to do in the next 2 months and before the main season starts in Jan. 2023

I think this will be the singles lineup for the 2023 season. It's a strong lineup. C.Swain must figure out the double's teams and practice double's tactics. It will be very critical for their success in 2023.

1. Eryn Cayetano, Sr
2. Madison Sieg, Fr
3. Snow Han, Soph
4. Naomi Cheong, Jr
5. Grace Piper, Soph
6. Emma Charney, Fr

7. Mckenna Koenig, RS Soph, solid backup
8. Nathalie Rodilosso, Sr, good backup and good depth.

Double’s. I would pair up these girls.

#1. Eyrn and Madison. You have a Senior and Freshman. 2 top tennis players. Eryn, an experienced Senior will hold up young Madison.

#2. Snow and Naomi. Seasoned, experienced, skilled tennis players. This pair would be a strong team.

#3. McKenna and Nathalie. McKenna is a double’s specialist and Nathalie a seasoned and experienced player. Nice and solid #3 team.

Alternate. Grace and Emma. Solid alternate team.

In double’s a pair/team must do these things well: Be Positive and Up lifting, Trust one another, Communicate well, Steady Play, minimize Un-Forced Errors, Togetherness as a Unit, Take away and Control the Center, Serve up accurate 1st Serves setting up your partner at the net, Read opponents serves well, Lobs, develop good hands and volleys, Return Well, Volley down into opponents feet, watch the opponents front feet (it will tell you where his/her shot will go), hit into your opponent's open court, play high % good margin shots, move your feet, strong punch or swinging volleys + overheads, hit your forehand on most shots (run around backhands & hit driving, hard forehands), hit lots of top spin (this shot will drop fast into your opponents feet), also incorporate low slice shots.

 

[heyrev]

Anyone old enough like me to remember way back when they would play the Annual So Calif Intercollegiate Championships at the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena. A lot of great players played there such as Brad Gilbert, John Andrews from SC , John Austin and Elliot Teltscher from UCLA....too many I cant remember. As a fan it was a great venue . You would sit above the court from the end of the court in the shade.

Yes, and I'm even OLDER enough to remember playing in the Ojai tournament with Stan Smith and Bob Lutz led USC teams. I was a HS kid playing for my team coached by another USC alum, Dick Leach. That tournament was a top draw back then for the best collegiate players in Southern California. Yes, I'm old...

 

[jaycee993]

Yes, and I'm even OLDER enough to remember playing in the Ojai tournament with Stan Smith and Bob Lutz led USC teams. I was a HS kid playing for my team coached by another USC alum, Dick Leach. That tournament was a top draw back then for the best collegiate players in Southern California. Yes, I'm old...

It was a great venue to watch high end tennis up close. My brother used to take lessons from Leach when he was the pro at Lacy Park Tennis Club in San Marino. My brother is tall like me and as Leach was known to do he made up the name "Cement Bucket Feet" when referring to my brother. Leach used to be one of the very best doubles players in the US with Horst Ritter.
My brother also used to play/practice every saturday at The Foothill Tennis Clinic in Pasadena where Stan Smith once belonged. Anyway on saturday my brother was to play Barbara Hallquist who later would play for USC and also became a pro on tour. Anyway she waxed my brother 6-0, 6-0 and when shaking hands at the net she actually with a straight face apologized for "not playing well"....classic...I'm old too

 

[Canyon.usc]

Nick Bollettieri Tennis Guru and Hall of Fame tennis coach passed away recently (12-04-22) at age 91. He ran the NB Tennis Academy, Bradenton, Fl with boarding rooms. The IMG Academy bought out his NBTA property in 1987, but Nick still ran the tennis division.

Nick was a dear friend; we met in 1983 when I played in a Tampa, Fl tournament. Whenever we vacationed in Florida, I would always visit him. We would play a few sets and have a meal together. I called him 4 times a year, just to shoot the breeze. Nick was a very good tennis player, hit very hard, and well conditioned. Nick was charismatic, well liked, very generous, caring, full of life, good sense of humor man. He would give his shirt off his back for anyone.

Nick coached/trained some notable tennis players, Andre Aggasi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams and others. He ran a tough camp, 3 a days secessions, players would hit, serve, volley about 7,500 balls a day. Plus, they would cross train 4 days a week. He was stickler on conditioning, footwork and movement. I influenced him to include swimming in his training program and he thanked me for the recommendation.

I will miss him and our time together. The tennis world is gonna miss Nick Bollettieri...

 

[Canyon.usc]

Men's Tennis. Update News

Shaka, C.Masi pulled 2 rabbits out of his hat. Just learned he reeled in the 2023 class #1 National HS Player, 5* Blue Chip, Learner Tien, Irvine, CA. Tien was about to go Pro, but changed his mind and picked USC to play college tennis. He is coming in early and only 17 yrs old (a true HS senior) That's a Big Kaboom. I think L.Tien will play #4 or #5 singles?

2nd magic trick. C.Masi got Karl Lee, Freshman from UCLA thru transfer. 2021, Lee was the #8 National HS Player from Sacramento, 5* Blue Chip. K.Lee played #4 for UCLA-Sept to Oct, 2022 Fall season as a true Freshman. He will compete for a single's spot as a freshman for the 2023 Spring season.

Both, Tien and Lee are coming in for the January-May, 2023 Spring season. These 2 additions changes everything, now I'm picking USC men's to take the PAC 12 title again and make a strong run for the NC in May. Dang, this will be a very strong team. Oh yeah baby. Congrats and Fight On to HC Brett Masi and AC Rich Bonfiglio for an A+ recruiting job.

I think this will be the top 6 singles and 2 reserves lineup for the 2023 season. Shaka 8 strong.

1. Stefan Dostanic, Sr, #1 ranked NCAA, former 5* Blue Chip HS player, #4 National ranked HS player, Irvine, Ca.

2. Peter Makk, Soph, former #1 ranked Hungry HS player.

3. Ryan Colby, Soph, Virginia, former #2 National HS & 5* Blue Chip player.

4. Learner Tien, Fr, Irvine, Ca, 2022 #1 National HS player, 5* Blue Chip.

5. Bradley Frye, Gr/MS 5th year player, Kansas, 5* Blue Chip.

6. Lodewijk Weststrate, Jr, former #1 Dutch/Netherlands HS player.

Reserves.

7. Karl Lee, Fr transfer, Sacramento, played # 4 UCLA 2022 Fall season, former 5* Blue Chip and #8 National HS player.

8. Wojtek Marek, Soph, former #1 Polish HS player.

 

[Canyon.usc]

Aw just found out, AC Rich Bonfigilio, men's tennis left the program to become the HC at U.Penn. Dang, we just lost an outstanding tennis coach & top recruiter. C.RB was here for only 2 years but did a fine job. He replaced long time AC Kwinta who became Cal's HC in 2020.

Let's hope C. Masi finds an experienced AC and top recruiter?

Best wishes and a warm Aloha to C. Bonfigilio.


1-23-23 Update

HC. Masi just hired Eric Johnson, former USC player (2012-15) season who contributed to 3 national titles. Eric normally played #5 or #4 singles winning 80% of his matches. Eric was a very good player. He coached at Cal Poly SLO and most recently at Columbia who was a top 25 team in nation. Very good hire and tennis coach. Hopefully, he is a good recruiter as well...

 

[Canyon.usc]

12-31-22, Post 2022 Fall Season Rankings

Men

1. Stefan Dostanic #1 pre-season, currently #79. Record 4-4. Dang, that’s a huge fall drop in rankings? I knew his rankings would drop, figured to around #20? Do not know what happen to Stefan’s game, but #79 is bad. Climbing back into the top 8 will be very difficult. In any type tournament, you want a 1 to 4 ranking for the best draw, 5 to 8 = very good draw, 9 to 16 = fair draw. After that it's shaky. Hopefully, Stefan finds his A+ game soon and get back a high rankings. Man, Stefan is an outstanding tennis player; it's shocking to find him in this situation. The team needs his A+ game and Senior leadership.

2. Peter Makk #41 pre-season, currently #38. Not bad

3. Bradley Frye #44 pre-season, currently #65. OK

4. Lodewijk Weststrate #76 pre-season, currently N/R (not ranked, only top 125 gets a ranking). Disappointing, Lodewijk had a good, solid freshman year, some what average Soph year, had high hopes for a strong rebound/improvement this/Jr. season.

5. Ryan Colby #110 pre-season, currently N/R. Disappointing, had high hopes for Ryan for this season.

6. Wojtek Marek #113 pre-season, currently N/R. No comment.

Unfortunately, our Men’s team got hammered in the current rankings due to a bad 2022 Fall tennis season. The team took embarrassing losses. They had 2 months (November and December) to clean things up for the 2023 season. With the addition of Learner Tien #1 national HS player and Karl Lee, UCLA transfer, #8 national HS player they should help the team get back to a top 10 rankings and take the PAC 12 crown again.


Women

1. Eryn Cayetano, #1 pre-season, currently #24. Significant drop in rankings, but it’s doable climbing back into a top 8 rankings. Eryn was in a slump in the Fall season. Hopefully, in the last 2 months, she cleaned things up and found her A+ game. The team is gonna need a strong Eryn tennis game and Senior leadership for our Wahine’s take the PAC 12 crown.

2. Madison Sieg, #6 new comer, freshman pre-season rankings, currently #2 in nation, wow! Big surprise, thought it would around #20 rankings? Madison had an Xlent Fall season 10-1 record winning a tournament and runner up, 2nd place in another tournament. Outstanding play for a true freshman. But, Madison came to USC with a high #5 national HS rankings.

3. Snow Han, #65 pre-season, currently #17. Xlent job by Snow, she had a very good Fall season.

4. Naomi Cheong, #85 pre-season, currently #96. Slight drop off, but I still feel Naomi is a 50’s ranking type player, maybe in 45”s. Naomi is a very good tennis player.

# 5. Emma Charney, N/R pre-season, currently #83. Very good, Emma had a decent Fall season. I think she can get into the 60’s ranking. Emma came to USC with #10 national HS rankings, so she has an accomplished game. I can see Emma getting to 60’s rankings in no time.

Stanford and UCLA are gonna be tough to beat, these two teams have highly ranked players. It’s gonna be a battle for the PAC 12 crown between USC, Stanford and UCLA. Givum and Fight On to our Wahine tennis team.

 

[Canyon.usc]

1-21-23

Women.

Our #14 ranked Wahine tennis team have started out fast, winning 4 matches this past week at home (Mark's stadium) = 4-0 early season record. Although 3 opponents were not highly ranked, I think the team could improve to a #12 rankings in the next poll. Good job by our girls, but it was expected. This is a very talented, deep, 8 strong in singles. But, we must remember this is a very young team.

I'm happy for Sloane Morra, Soph. She went 2-0 this weekend. Morra came to USC with high credentials but struggled last year and for the Fall 2022 season. Her older sister Cameron played for UNC (graduated 2022) was an All American and plays for Duke as a Grad/MS transfer. Looks like Sloane has regained confidence and overcame her mental issues. And, Xlent job by McKenna Koenig, RS Soph who has been playing well since the 2022 Fall season. I think she has earned a spot in the starting 6 singles lineup.

1-19-23

USC vs Loyola Marymount, Won, 4-0
USC took the Dbl's = 1 pt
#2 singles, M.Seig won, 6-1, 6-1
#5 singles, E.Charney won, 6-0, 6-2
#6 singles, M.Koenig won, 6-1, 6-2
#1 singles, S.Han and #3 singles E.Cayetano, #4 N.Cheong DNF-did not finish, both coaches stopped play due to USC reaching the 4 pts mark. This happens in most matches. There are 7 pts in college tennis; the team that wins 4 pts wins the match.

USC vs CSUN, Won, 4-0
USC took the Dbl's = 1 pt
#3 singles, M.Koenig won, 6-0, 6-2
#5 singles, S.Morra won 6-4, 6-2
#6 singles, I.Lee won, 6-1,6-2
#1 G.Piper, #2 E.Charney, #4 N.Rodilosso DNF-did not finish, coaches stopped play. All 3 were winning their matches.

1-21-23

USC vs U.San Diego, Won 4-3 This was a close match, U.San Diego is ranked 28th in nation. Both schools played it out = the 7 pts results.
USC won the Dbl's = 1 pt
#1 singles M.Sieg won 6-2, 6-3
#2 singles S.Han won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
#3 singles, E.Cayetano won 6-2, 6-4
#4 N.Cheong, #5 G.Piper, #6 M.Koenig loss their matches.

USC vs San Diego St, Won 6-1. Again, both schools played it out, the full 7 pts.
USC won the Dbl's = 1 pt
#1 singles, M.Sieg won, 6-2, 6-3
#2 singles, E.Cayetano won, 6-2, 6-3
#4 singles, E.Charney won, 6-4, 6-2
#5 singles, M.Koenig won, 6-3, 6-3
#6 singles, S.Morra won, 6-3, 7-6
#3 singles, S.Hah loss a close 4-6, 6-4, 10-12 pts tie breaker.

My new, estimated lineup after these 4 matches. This team will win a lot of matches this year and should be a top 12 team in nation by Mid February. And, hopefully a #8 or better by the NC tournament in May 2023.

#1 Dbl's = E.Cayetano & M Sieg, #2 Dbl's S.Han & N.Cheong, #3 Dbl's G.Piper & N.Rodilosso

#1 singles, M.Sieg, Fr
#2 singles, E.Cayetano, Sr
#3 singles, S.Han, Soph
#4 singles, N.Cheong, Jr
#5 singles, M.Koenig, RS Soph
#6 singles, E.Charney, Fr

#7 singles, G.Piper, Soph
#8 singles, S.Morra, Soph

1-18-23 Rankings. PAC 12 ranked teams, Stanford #8, Cal #12, USC #14, UCLA #16, ASU # 19. Pepperdine # 10. Top 4: Texas #1, North Carolina #2, N.Carolina St #3, Oklahoma #4, these early rankings look right.

 

[Canyon.usc]

1-22-23

Men.

Very good, our #8 ranked Men's tennis team have started out fast, winning 2 matches this past week at home (Mark's stadium) = 2-0 early season record. No big deal, these 2 opponents were not highly ranked teams. Both coaches agreed to play out the full 7 pts.

Noticed that Leaner Tien, the #1 National ranked HS player did not play? Maybe there's a hold up with paper work? Good to see Stefan Dostanic get a win, the team is gonna need his A+ game and Senior leadership. Looks like C.Masi played around with his lineup and figuring things out. Good idea.

USC vs Sacramento St, Win 7-0

USC won the Dbl's = 1 pt
#1 singles, Makk, won 6-2, 6-3
#2 " , Marek, won 7-5, 6-2
#3 " , Weststrate, won 6-2, 6-4
#4 singles, Colby, won 6-1, 6-2
#5 " , Rubell, won 6-3, 6-0
#6 " , Lee, won 6-1, 6-0

USC vs UC Irvine, Win 7-0. Again, both coaches agreed to play out the full 7 pts. Early season, good that players get to play and gain the experience of a complete, full match.

USC won the Dbl's = 1 pt
#1 singles, Dostanic, won 6-1, 6-2
#2 " , Frye, won 6-3, 6-2
#3 " , Marek, won 6-1, 6-4
#4 singles, Colby, won 6-0, 6-4
#5 " , Lee, won 6-0, 6-4
#6 " , Rubell, won 6-2, 7-6

1-18-23 Rankings. PAC 12 ranked teams, USC #8, Stanford #13, Arizona #15, whoa UCLA is not in top 25. Pepperdine #19. Top 4, Virginia #1, Ohio St #2, TCU # 3, Kentucky #4, agree for the most part, but I think Texas #7 should be #4 instead.

 

[Canyon.usc]

Update Matches. 1-27-23 to 1-29-23

Men.

1-28-23 to 1-29-23, Regional ITA Kickoff, Qualifying Round for the ITA National Championships, Chicago in February. Played at USC, a small 4 teams tournament: #7 USC, #25 UCLA, Vanderbilt, Memphis. Winner gets to go to Chicago. Shaka, our Men’s took the title, beating UCLA 4-0 in the finals, 1-29-23, Sunday. Plus, USC rose from #8 to #7 in the weekly polls. Xlent stuff by the boys. They now hold a 4-0 record.

So crucial are Dbls, that one point is a swing pt. So far, USC has won 4 Dbls pts in 4 matches. That’s a good sign. If they can keep it up, our boys are gonna be hard to beat this year. Once they take that Dbls point, all they have to do is win 3 singles and they are deep, 8 strong (with L.Tien). That will make it very tough, puts mucho pressure on other teams win against our boys. Simple keep winning the Dbl's pts and they will win a lot of matches...

Once again, Top freshman, Learner Tien did not play? Anyone know why Learner Tien has not played yet (hurt, enrollment issues)? Good sign, he's listed on the roster. Nice to see #79 Stefan winning again, looks like he is slowly finding his game again. Stefan is a top 6 player in nation. He and Tien are the Keys for the team winning the NC.

DNF = Did Not Finish, play are stopped due to a team winning 4 pts. Coaches decision.

* 1-28-23, #7 USC won Vanderbilt, 4-2.

USC won the Dbls = 1 pt

#1. Dostanic won 6-4, 6-3
#2 Makk won 7-6, 6-2
#3 Frye won 6-3, 6-3
#4 Marek loss 4-6, 1-6
#5 Weststrate loss 4-6, 4-6
#6 Lee DNF, Lee was ahead 7-6, 4-5


1-29-23, #7 USC won #25 UCLA, 4-0. 3 weeks ago UCLA was not ranked.

USC won the Dbls = 1 pt

#1 Dostanic DNF, but was ahead 7-6, 4-4
#2 Makk won, 6-2, 6-2
#3 Frye DNF
#4 Marek won, 6-3, 6-4
#5 Weststrate DNF
#6 Colby won, 6-4, 7-6


Women

1-27-23 to 1-28-23. Our #13 Wahine’s traveled to UGA for a small 4 teams tournament, regional ITA Kickoff qualifing round. USC, UGA, Notre Dame, Stetson. Winner goes to the ITA National Indoors Championships, Seattle, Wa in February. Our girls came up short and won’t be playing in Seattle. They were upset by Notre Dame, 3-4 on 1-27-23. But, came back on 1-28-23 beating Stetson for 3rd place. Record = 5-1 They will drop to around #18 next poll.

Noticed Naomi Cheong did not play any singles but played doubles. Heck, do not agree with C.Swain for not playing Cheong in single’s, bad decision.

Very good, our girls have won 6 Dbl’s pts in 6 matches. This is very important, winning that crucial, swing Dbl's pt gives the team a good chance of winning matches. This 2023 team is deep, 8 strong in single's.

USC rose in rankings from #14 to #13 last week. But, they will fall to maybe #18 due their upset loss to Notre Dame.

* 1-27-23, #13 USC loss to Notre Dame (upset), 3-4. Very disappointing.

USC won the Dbl’s = 1 pt

#1 Cayetano loss, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6. It was close, 3rd set Eryn had a service break, resulting the loss.
#2 Sieg won, 6-4, 7-5
#3 Han loss, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Tough and surprising loss
#4 Charney won, 7-5, 7-5
#5 Piper loss, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7. Again tough loss, hard fought 3rd set.
#6 Koenig loss, 3-6, 3-6. Loss in straight sets, surprising. #6 is perfect, she should win at that position.


* 1-28-23, USC beat Stetson, 4-0. Good rebound.

USC won the Dbls = 1 pt

#1 Cayetano won, 6-3, 6-1
#2 Sieg won, 6-3, 6-0
#3 Han DNF, but was ahead 6-2, 4-4
#4 Charney DNF
#5 Piper DNF
#6 Koenig won 6-1, 6-4

 

[Canyon.usc]

Tennis Results 2-4-23 to 2-5-23

Men’s. USC traveled across the country to Orlando, Fl (Lake Nona), USTA National Center to play dual matches against #15 U.Florida and #13 UGA. Our boys killed it, winning both matches convincingly. Hah, the boys loss that important Dbl’s pt both matches and yet pulled out wins. Florida and UGA just needed to win 3/6 singles and couldn't pull it off. That’s how strong the team and boys are in single’s.

C.Masi has done a tremendous job cleaning up their tennis game, because during the 2022 Fall season (Sept to Oct), the team struggled. C.Masi fixed things in 2 months. C.Masi is an Outstanding tennis coach, top 5 in the country.

2-4-23. #7 USC beat #15 U.Florida, 5-2

Florida took the Dbl’s = 1 pt

#1. #79 S.Dostanic won 6-2, 6-3
#2. #38 P.Makk won 6-2, 6-2
#3. W.Merek won #57 Bonetto 6-4, 6-3. Strong win for unranked Merek beating the #57 in nation.
#4. #65 B. Frye loss to #93 J.Bosewell, 4-6, 2-6
#5. R.Colby won 6-3, 6-4
#6. L.Weststrate won 7-5, 5-7, 10-8 hard fought 3 set match. Good win for Lodewijk, he has been struggling lately.

2-5-23. #7 USC beat #13 UGA, 4-2

UGA took the Dbl’s = 1 pt

#1. #79 S.Dostanic won #1 E.Quinn, 6-3, 6-2
#2. #38 P.Makk won #10 P.Henning 6-3, 6-2
#3. W.Marek won #70 T.Giusca 6-7, 6-4, 6-0 Again solid win for unranked Marek, beating the #70 player in nation.
#4. #65 B.Frye loss #106 T.Bryde 1-6, 6-3, 3-6. Frye had a bad weekend, losing 2 matches.
#5. R.Colby won #21 B.Croyder 7-6, 5-7, 6-1. Great win young Colby beating the #21 player in nation.
#6. L.Weststrate DNF, 6-3, 2-2 Weststrate was ahead.

I think this should be the single's lineup. 1. Dostanic, 2. Makk, 3. Merek, 4. Colby, 5. Karl Lee, 6. Frye. And, if Tien ever plays place him at #4, #5 Colby, #6 Lee. Frye drops out.

This was a very good weekend for our boys and tennis team. I think the team with a 6-0 record will climb to #5? Dostanic should rebound to around #35 for beating UGA's #1 ranked in nation and winning a tough Florida player. Happy for Stefan looks like he has found his game. Stefan is a top 4 player in the country. #38 P.Makk will climb to around #20 next week polls. I think #65 Frye losing 2 matches will drop a lot and maybe drop out of the top 125 rankings.

* Once again, Learner Tien did not play? Anyone know the scoop on Tien?


Women’s. Our #24 Wahine’s traveled to Texas and played #1 Texas, losing big 1-6. Texas showed no mercy and clobbered USC.

Texas took the Dbl’s = 1 pt

#1. #2 M.Sieg won N.Khirin 6-4, 1-6, 6-0. Solid win for young Sieg, she is so good, tough player.
#2. #24 E.Cayetanno loss 4-6, 2-6. Disappointing
#3. #17 S.Han loss 1-6, 0-6. Shocking, losing big and in straight sets. Something physical must have affected Han's game. She is way better than that.
#4. #96 N.Cheong loss #85 M.Rapolu 6-4, 0-6, 6-7. 3 hard fought sets. Good to see Cheong in the lineup. Naomi belongs in the single's lineup
#5. #83 E.Charney loss 6-0, 3-6, 1-6
#6 G.Piper loss 2-6, 5-7. Grace has struggled for wins this season, Soph slump? I believe McKenna Koenig should play #6 instead.

The team with a 5-2 record will drop in rankings to around #30 next week. They just need to regroup, regain confidence, practice hard, play smart, high % tennis...

 

[jl83]

Learner Tien recently came back from playing the Australian Open juniors where he won the doubles and was runner-up in singles. I'm not sure if that's the reason he's hasn't been in the lineup. In my opinion, I think he could easily play at #2 if not #1.

 

[Canyon.usc]

Learner Tien recently came back from playing the Australian Open juniors where he won the doubles and was runner-up in singles. I'm not sure if that's the reason he's hasn't been in the lineup. In my opinion, I think he could easily play at #2 if not #1.

Thanxs for dat info. Did not know he was in Australia, that's gotta be the reason. Makes a lot of sense, the Juniors just finished last week. Anyway, hope there are no enrollment paper work issues and missed classes? Looking at the depth chart, I would put him at #4 or maybe #3. But, #4 is a good spot for him, he would win a lot of matches and pts.

If he gets to play soon, USC should make a strong run for the NC in May. For sure take the PAC 12 title...

 

[jl83]

Hope so. I'd say put him in as high as you can where he will still rack up a lot of wins. Makes the rest of the lineup that much stronger.

 

[Canyon.usc]

Hope so. I'd say put him in as high as you can where he will still rack up a lot of wins. Makes the rest of the lineup that much stronger.

Check this out. For the 2023 class there are 2 highly ranked S.Calif players: Alex Michelsen, #2 nation, Aliso Viejo, Ca, UGA verbal and Chase Thompson #9 nation, Mission Viejo, Ca, Ohio St verbal. Both have not signed the LOI yet. I read that Tien, Michelsen and Thompson are good friends.

What if C.Masi is able to change their minds and land them. Dang, that would be insane. With Dostanic and Frye departing next year, two rides will open up. Let's cross our fingers that these two talented tennis players join Tien at USC...

 

[Canyon.usc]

2-08-23 Updated Rankings.

Men

Team is now #6 in nation, 6-0 record. In the 1-04-23 poll, they started at #9, in one month kept beating top 13 teams. Their next big match will be against #4 Michigan, 2-13-23 and then 2-17-23 to 2-20-23 play in the ITA National Team Indoors Championships, Chicago, Illinois. I think the #1 freshman Learner Tien will play next week and that should make the single's lineup even stronger.

Single's rankings. The team has 6 players ranked in the top 125 (only the top 125 players out of about 2,500 D-1 players) get rated by the ITA or Intercollegiate Tennis Asscociation. Stefan Dostanic started #1 dropped to #79 and climbed back to #35. At that rate, he should get into the top 10. No question, Stefan is a top 4 player in nation. P.Makk was #38 and is now #34. Nah, the ITA got it wrong, Makk should be #28. Merek was unranked and is now #69, great job by Merek beating 3 ranked players. R.Colby was unranked is now #82. K.Lee is holding onto #108. B.Frye was #65 but dropped way down to #118. And, I think once Learner Tien plays he should start with a #25 to #29 type initial rankings.

To have 7 players ranked in the top 125 is amazing. With that type talent our boys will take the PAC 12 again and contend for the NC in May. I believe this team has the right stuff to win the NC. I'm jacked up for this season.

Women.

Strange the ITA did not rank the women teams for the 1-8-23 poll but gave out individual rankings. 1-04-23, USC started out #14 improve to #13, upset by Notre Dame dropped to #24. After the #1 Texas whopping last week, I think they will drop to around #32.

True freshman, Madison Sieg holds the #2 spot, Outstanding. S.Han went from #17 down to #26. E.Cayetanno started out #1 dropped to #24 and now is at #32. C.Swain has got to fix Eryn's game soon, she is too talented. True freshman, E.Charney started out #83 and is now #110. Naomi Cheong started out #85 dropped to #95 and has dropped out.

The team had high expectations for the season. They started out with a bang, 4-0. Then loss 2 matches and now holds a 5-2 record. So dissappointing. Hopefully, C.Swain and the AC can get the girls play sound and solid tennis again. This team is too talented and should be in the top 12.

 

[Canyon.usc]

Tennis Results, 2-12-23 to 2-13-23

Men. 2-13-23, #6 USC vs #4 Michigan, loss 1-4. Recording their 1st loss, dropping to a 6-1 record.

When two top teams play, the team that takes the Dbl's pt 95% of the time wins the match. Michigan won the Dbl's pt and then took 3/6 singles, thus winning the match 4-1. But, this match was not a lop sided win for Michigan. If the teams had played it out (7 pts), the score would have been 4-3. Dostanic and Makk were ahead in their single's match when it was called off.. Tennis scores can be deceiving. Does not matter, the record books will show a USC loss and a 6-1 record.

USC will travel to Chicago and play in the ITA National Indoor Championship, 2-17 to 2-20-23. 16 of the top teams in the country wll be there. Hope the boys rebound and play well. Kool if they play Michigan again. USC is the 7th seed.

Dang, true freshman Learner Tien did not play? I would replace B.Frye with Karl Lee in the single’s lineup. Frye has loss 3 in a row. He is struggling…

Michigan won Dbl’s = 1 pt

1. #35 S.Dostanic DNF and was ahead in score. Both HC pulled the match since Michigan had taken the 4 pts bench mark and winning the team match.

2. #34 P.Makk, DNF and was ahead in score. Again, both HC pulled the match.

3. #69 W.Merek loss to the #42 Michigan player, 6-7, 4-6

4. #118 B.Frye loss to the #36 Michigan player, 4-6, 1-6

5. #82 R.Colby loss 3-6, 2-6

6. L.Westsrate won 6-2, 6-0


Women. #24 USC beat Santa Barbara, 7-0 improving to 6-2 record. M.Sieg and N.Cheong did not play singles, but played double’s. Good win and nice rebound for our girls. Quiet strange, Santa Barbara only played 4 girls? They must have a very small team or some were unavailable. You want at least 6 to 8 players on the team.

USC won Dbl’s = 1 pt

1. #32 E.Cayetano won, 6-2, 6-4

2. #26 S.Han won 6-2, 6-4

3. #110 E.Charney won 6-4, 6-1

4. G.Piper won 6-2, 6-2

5. M.Koenig won by default, no opponent

6. S.Morra won by default, no opponent

 

[Canyon.usc]

ITA National Indoors Championships, Chicago, host U. Illinois. 2-17-23 to 2-20-23

The top 16 college teams in the nation are playing here. They are the winners of their respected regional’s played 2 weeks ago. PAC 12 teams: USC and Stanford. Shaka, in tennis teams and players are ranked by true competition, tournaments. The best will rise thru elimination within a draw and brackets.

Once again, top freshman, Learner Tien did not play? What’s going on?

DNF = Did Not Finish, remaining matches are stopped once a team wins 4 pts. Coaches decision. Normal and typical practice. I prefer teams play it out, all 7 matches/pts.


2-17-23, Friday

#6 USC vs #12 UNC-North Carolina. USC won 4-1

UNC won the Dbl’s = 1 pt

1. #35 Dostanic won #59 Cernoch, 6-1, 6-4. Shaka, Stefan is on a winning streak.

2. #34 Makk won #19 Seggarman, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Xlent win for Peter. UNC place their #1 player at #2 single’s, but it did not work. In sports it's called Sand Bagging, it’s a low down tactic. Coaches should not do that sheet.

3. #69 Marek won 6-1, 6-4. Solid win for Wojtek. He is on a winning streak, at #3 he has been very productive for the team. Pre-season Wojtek stuggled for wins, he has improved a lot. He is solid at #3 single’s and deserves that top postion.

4. #118 Frye DNF 7-6, 2-6

5. #82 Colby won, 6-2, 6-4. Very good win for young Ryan. Ryan is a very good tennis player.

6. Weststrate DNF, 7-6, 1-4


2-18-23, Saturday

#6 USC vs #2 Kentucky. USC loss 3-4.

This was a very close and tough loss for USC. The boys could have beaten Kentucky if they took the Dbl’s pt and if B.Frye was replaced by Learner Tien. Insulting, low down move, Kentucky Sand Bagged USC by placing their #1 player Lapadatt at the #3 position. BS and bad decision by Kentucky’s coach, he should be ashamed for doing dat. I think he felt Lapadatt would not win against Dostanic or Makk. USC is the better team!

Kentucky won the Dbl’s = 1 pt. C.Masi must clean this up, da boys have loss 4 straight Dbl’s pt in their last 4 team matches. They started out strong by winning the Dbl’s in their 1st 5 matches. Now they are 5-4 in Dbl’s. The Boys must start winning Dbl’s again. This is so crucial if they are to win the NC in May.

#35 S.Dostanic won #45 Draxl 6-3, 6-4. Good job for our #1. Stefan is playing like his pre-season #1 ranking. Stefan is leading the team and on a winning streak. Dostanic should climb to #16 in the next poll. Stefan is a top 4 player in the nation. Hell is my #1 player in the nation!

#34 P.Makk won #66 Ayeni 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Solid win, tuff 3 sets, Shaka Makk is on a winning streak too. Peter should climb to #20 in the next poll. Peter has been so solid playing the #2 position, winning matches-pts. It’ a great one two punch with Stefan at #1 and Peter at #2 single's.

#69 W.Marek loss #16 Lapadatt, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6. Poor Wojtek had to play the #16 player in country. Shaka, Marek gave it his all, playing 3 hard sets. Wojtek hold your head up high you did good. You deserve the #3 position. So BS by the Kentucky’s coach to Sand Bag Marek like dat. That is low for a HC to do dat sheet. Wipe Out…

#118 B.Frye loss 5-6, 3-6. Shoot, Bradley has loss 5 straight matches and still C.Masi has him in the single’s lineup. Hate saying this, but C.Masi is hurting the team with Frye in the lineup. Bradley must be replaced. This should be the lineup #4 Learner Tien, #5 Colby, #6 Karl Lee or Weststrate. I do not know what’s going on with C.Masi and his decision making? He is not making proper adjustments to strengthen the team’s lineup. Frye is the weak link in the single’s lineup. There are 2 Xlent players in the wings in Tien and Lee. For goodness sakes C.Masi play them...

#82 R.Colby loss #57 Cosnet, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6. Tuff loss for Ryan. He played 3 hard sets, came close to winning.

LWeststrate won 7-5, 6-4. Good win for Lodewijk.

#6 USC plays #13 UGA, 2-19-23 in a consolation match, loser bracket. USC beat UGA, 4-2, two weeks ago in Florida. Rubber type matches are always interesting. Let’s see how da Boys rebound after the Kentucky loss…

2-18-23, Wow the #1 team, Ohio St was upset by #8 Texas in the Quarter Finals, 3-4.

2-19-23 Semi Finals. Heck, USC should be playing TCU today.

#2 Kentucky vs. #3 TCU. TCU won 4-2, took Dbl's pt.
#4 Michigan vs #8 Texas. Texas won/upset 4-3, took the Dbl's pt. Two months ago, I wrote Texas should be #4 in nation. I knew Texas had the right stuff, young top players from their 2019 NC team are seniors now. Strong senior leadership is key in team sports.

Look at this semi finals, the team that took the Dbl's pt won the match. USC must clean up their Dbl's game to put themselves in a favorable position in match play.

2-20-23 Finals. #3 TCU vs #8 Texas. 2 Big 12 teams. I think TCU will win a tight, hard fought match, score 4-3. Man the Big 12 is a tough league. Annual top 15 teams: TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas AM. The very best league with most of the NC is still the PAC 12: USC, Stanford, UCLA dominate tennis...

2-19-23

#6 USC vs #13 UGA. USC loss 2-4. Loser bracket, consolation match.

UGA won their rubber match this weekend. This was a tough tournament. Tennis is a grueling sport, physically and mentally; especially in a 4 days tournament.. Players must be in top condition. They must rest, eat/drink and recover well after each match for the next day. Looks like the boys were tired, exhausted and spent. The team 7-3 will drop to around #12 in the next poll.

UGA won the Dbl's = 1 pt. USC Dbl's record 5-5, not good,

#35 Dostanic loss to #5 Quinn, 6-7, 5-7.
#34 Makk DNF
#69 Marek won, #87 Byrde 6-4, 6-4
#118 Frye loss 1-6, 2-6. That's 6 straight losses. When will C.Masi replace Bradley for L.Tien?
#82 Colby loss 6-7, 4-6
Weststrate won 6-4, 6-4. Good job by Lodewijk. He had a nice tournament, 2-1

2-20-23 Finals. #3 TCU beat/won #8 Texas 4-0. Whoa, TCU has a strong team this year and will be the new #1. Texas will climb to #3 in the next poll. Top 4: TCU, Kentucky, Texas, Michigan. Ohio St #5, Virginia #6. USC will drop to around #12. If USC had beaten UGA, they would have dropped only one spot to #7.

 

[Bigpapajohn]

Learner Tien recently came back from playing the Australian Open juniors where he won the doubles and was runner-up in singles. I'm not sure if that's the reason he's hasn't been in the lineup. In my opinion, I think he could easily play at #2 if not #1.

 

[SouthbayTrojan91]

That was, what, 2.5 or 3 weeks ago?
Does not seem like a legitimate reason at this point. Did he get injured?

 

[Canyon.usc]

3-01-23 Men's Tennis

#8 USC vs #33 UCLA, won 4-0. Solid win for da Boys. Update team record 8-3

DNF = Did Not Finish, remaining matches are stopped once a team wins 4 pts. Coaches decision. Normal and typical practice.

USC won the Dbl's = 1 pt. Broke a 4 match losing streak, update Dbl's record 6-5

1. #42 S.Dostanic DNF, but was way ahead about to win the match.
2. #19 P.Makk won 6-4, 7-5. Peter is playing very good tennis this season, solid at #2 position.
3. W.Marek DNF, but was ahead, mostly likely would have won.
4. R.Colby DNF
5. B.Frye won 6-2, 6-2. Good win for Bradley, broke a 6 match losing streak.
6. L.Weststrate won 6-4, 6-1. Solid win. Lodewijk is on a 5 match winning streak, looks like he has found his game. Earlier in season he was struggling and losing.

Again, top freshman, L.Tien #1 HS recruit did not play?

Notes and comments.

1. S.Dostanic new rankings = #42, dat's BS. Prior to ITA Indoor National's Championships 2-17-23 to 2-20-23, Stefan had a #35 rankings and on a winning streak, beating highly ranked players. At the Indoor Championships won 2 solid ranked players, and loss a close match to UGA #5 ranked player. And, was dropped to #42? The ITA is full of it. Stefan's true and real rankings should be #16. I'm putting up my tennis reputation, Stefan Dostanic is a top 4 player in the nation!

2. Look at Makk rankings. Prior to Indoor's Championships, he was ranked #34, won 3 matches and received a high #19 rankings. I predicted #20, so this is an acceptable and proper rankings.

3. P.Merek was ranked #69 prior to the Indoor's Championships, won 2 matches and loss a close, 3 sets match vs the #16 player (Kentucky sand bagged USC and Merek, placed their #1 player at #3 vs Marek). He was dropped out of the top 125 rankings. Another BS. Merek should have climbed to around #60.

Freaken ITA is all over da place and very inconsistent with their rankings. It happens every season. The ITA rankings are done by a committee of 12 regional HC coaches. I really believe rankings should be done by a computer. People make mistakes, have an agenda, lazy = poor rankings. I think the 12 ITA committee members are not serious with their work, too concern with their teams. These 12 HC's over all do a lousy job at this stuff (takes mucho time and analysis). Get a dam computer ITA and your rankings will be much more accurate. Rankings matters big time when it comes to the NC in May.

Once again no L.Tien. The #1 HS recruit has not played one match this season...

 

[SouthbayTrojan91]

Once again no L.Tien. The #1 HS recruit has not played one match this season...

What is up with that? is he on some sort of academic probation or something related to concerns about eligibility?

 

[uscvball]

Once again no L.Tien. The #1 HS recruit has not played one match this season...

Question...how many, if any, matches did he play in high school? That may lead to an answer as to why he hasn't played at USC.

Most of January, he was prepping and playing in the Australian Open Juniors. IMO, there's a decent chance he never does play for USC.

 

[Canyon.usc]

What is up with that? is he on some sort of academic probation or something related to concerns about eligibility?

Do not know. Maybe someone who has inside connection to the tennis team can share good info regarding L.Tien. Normally, most coaches would have players play each other for team position, every 2 weeks or so. The top 3 are set: Dostanic, Makk, Merek. The 4 to 6 positions are questionable and should be realigned.

Here's my picks. #4 L.Tien, #5 R.Colby, #6 L.Weststrate or Karl Lee. If no Tien: #4 Colby, #5 Weststrate, #6 Lee. I feel Bradley Frye is the weak link in the single's lineup.

Most of all, the boys must clean up their Dbl's game. In the NC in May, a top 8 rankings is ideal for a good draw within their brackets. A top 4 is even mo betta. Currently, USC is ranked #8 which is good. 2ndly, winning the Dbl's pt is crucial and key for a good run to the NC in May...

 

[Canyon.usc]

Question...how many, if any, matches did he play in high school? That may lead to an answer as to why he hasn't played at USC.

Most of January, he was prepping and playing in the Australian Open Juniors. IMO, there's a decent chance he never does play for USC.

Why does a HS playing record matters? Tien got his high HS Junior rankings by playing regional, national Junior tournaments, winning and playing other top HS players in the country and international competition. Not sure if he ever played for a HS team? But, aren't grades and SAT's, ACT test scores most important. Looks like he was accepted into USC, he is listed on the roster. C.Masi reported that L.Tien was coming in as a mid season player at 17 years old and true HS senior. I do not think C.Masi would have given out that statement if Tien was not accepted into USC. Hopefully, someone with inside connection can explain L.Tien's situation.

Possible road blocks: He is not fully qualified, not attending classes or he is injured?

The team sure could use him in the single's lineup. He would help the team become a solid contender for the NC in May.

 

[uscvball]

Why does a HS playing record matters? Tien got his high HS Junior rankings by playing regional, national Junior tournaments, winning and playing other top HS players in the country and international competition. Not sure if he every played for a HS team? But, aren't grades and SAT's, ACT test scores most important. Looks like he was accepted into USC, he is listed on the roster. C.Masi reported that L.Tien was coming in as a mid season player at 17 years old and true HS senior. I do not think C.Masi would have given that statement if Tien was not accepted into USC. Hopefully, someone with inside connection can explain L.Tien's situation.

Possible road blocks: He is not attending classes or he is injured?

The team sure could use him into the single's lineup. He would help the team make a solid contender for the NC in May.

The record itself, doesn't. The fact that he may not have played high school at all is an indication to me, that he may not play in college either.

Certainly he went to high school or at least earned his way into college. I don't doubt that at all. But if he spent the entire month of January prepping and playing in the Aussie Open Juniors, his focus is clearly not playing in college....at least not at the moment.

If he is meant to be mid-season, isn't that in about a week or so? Would certainly explain why he hasn't played yet.

 

[Canyon.usc]

The record itself, doesn't. The fact that he may not have played high school at all is an indication to me, that he may not play in college either.

Certainly he went to high school or at least earned his way into college. I don't doubt that at all. But if he spent the entire month of January prepping and playing in the Aussie Open Juniors, his focus is clearly not playing in college....at least not at the moment.

If he is meant to be mid-season, isn't that in about a week or so? Would certainly explain why he hasn't played yet.

Thanxs Veebs for the explanation. Dang, looks like dat's it, a technical thing (mid season status). I hope dat's the reason. All I know, L.Tien technically is a HS senior, 17 yrs old. Normally, he should be coming in next year. From what I read, Tien was thinking about going Pro and not play college ball. Somehow, C.Masi got him to change his mind + qualify early and get him in this year. I think R.Colby did dat too last year.

Yeah, HS recruiting is an interesting part of college sports and coaching. A HC has to use every angle to get the best players, sometimes even before they graduate from HS (creative recruiting). We see dat in FB. But, there are so many NCAA rules and guidelines (NCAA technicalities) to follow, by both the recruit and HC.

Hope L.Tien is qualified and not a one and done type college player. I think college tennis is a good way to develop and mature as a young player + getting a degree is a big plus. I'm an advocate to this plan. Some of the very best pro tennis players are and were former college players.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tien play for USC. He is a big time talent...

 

[jl83]

According to the Zoo tennis blog, Tien is not yet eligible to play. Unfortunately, it doesn't say why or when he might become eligible. I also read that he received a wild card into the BNP qualies that start on Monday. I'd like to see him do well against the pros, but not too well where he might decide that he doesn't need college tennis!

 

[uscvball]

According to the Zoo tennis blog, Tien is not yet eligible to play. Unfortunately, it doesn't say why or when he might become eligible. I also read that he received a wild card into the BNP qualies that start on Monday. I'd like to see him do well against the pros, but not too well where he might decide that he doesn't need college tennis!

Maybe he's not enrolled full time. Or perhaps he was tentatively admitted prior to completing some of the core course requirements from high school.