No. 15 UCLA men’s tennis (5-2) will travel to David X. Marks Stadium to face No. 21 USC (7-3) on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins are riding a three-game win streak and look to usurp the Trojans in the squads’ conference opener. Contributor Samir Joshi analyzes the Trojan talent ahead of the clash.

Personnel

Coach: Brett Masi

Projected Singles Lineup: Branko Djuric, Nathan Trouve, Jack McCarthy, Max Exsted, Niels Hoffmann, Andrin Casanova

Projected Doubles Lineup: Andrin Casanova/Jack McCarthy, Connor Church/Branko Djuric, Max Exsted/Nathan Trouve

X-Factors: Nathan Trouve, Branko Djuric, Max Exsted

Overall Record: 7-3

ITA National Ranking: No. 21

Notable Victories: Then-No. 15 California, No. 24 Pepperdine

The Trojans’ singles lineup features a confident and young trio, backed by rising prospects. This youth gives the squad a very high ceiling and a notably low floor.

That floor, however, is rarely reached.

Sophomore Nathan Trouve has made an immediate impact as a clutch-time weapon after earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors last year. Trouve has earned three straight-set victories across his five singles wins, and the sophomore has been a reliable singles point for the Trojans.

Notably, Trouve defeated Stanford’s Samir Banerjee in straight sets – a feat UCLA junior Spencer Johnson failed to achieve.

Trouve has primarily played on courts one and two, so either UCLA sophomore Rudy Quan or Johnson will have to halt Trouve’s momentum.

Coach Billy Martin has said Quan boasts technical ability in hitting volleys and pro shots, while Johnson’s powerful serve and aggressive play style create pressure that is hard to recover from. Trouve, meanwhile, excels as a baseline hitter, often outlasting his opponents with patient, high-percentage shots – a rhythm the Bruins will need to break.

Freshmen Branko Djuric and Max Exsted also defend the baseline well and have emerged as wildcards in the Trojans’ singles lineup.

Djuric opened the season as the Trojans’ singles No. 1. The Budva, Montenegro, local bested then-No. 55 Tiago Silva in straight sets, his most notable victory this season.

Djuric did not play against then-No. 3 Stanford, UNLV and UC Irvine, during which USC notched a 2-1 record. USC’s highly-touted prospect may look to apply pressure at the baseline and net after sustaining a loss to Pepperdine’s Edward Winter in straight sets on Feb. 13.

Djuric is joined by Exsted, the No. 8 recruit in the nation and the No. 1 recruit from Minnesota. Exsted holds a 5-1 singles record, having droped just one match to San Diego’s Stian Klaassen in a 12-10 super tiebreak.

Sophomores Niels Hoffmann and Andrin Casanova have guarded courts four through six relentlessly. Casanova owns a 6-2 singles record, earning half of those wins on court six, and Hoffmann has a 5-2 record across courts four and five.

But the Trojans are 3-3 against ranked opponents thus far, highlighting the inconsistencies that can arise when underclassmen headline rosters.

The Trojans flip the script for doubles.

Leading with Casanova and graduate student Jack McCarthy, the Trojans embrace veteran play for doubles. The seasoned duo has lost just three matches, though the team as a whole has dropped more than half of its doubles matches thus far.

The Bruins’ No.1 duo has been fluid to start the season. In recent weeks, Martin has gone with Johnson and senior Aadarsh Tripathi, who will most likely face Casanova and McCarthy for a chance to take the lead entering singles play, to man the top doubles spot.

Coach Brett Masi has also begun the season with fluid lineups, trying five different pairings on court three. The Trojans have found the most success with the Exsted and Trouve tandem, which holds an undefeated record on court three. However, their weaknesses are seemingly exposed on court two, notching just one win across 10 dual matches within the stripes.