Friday holds a big match for the Bruins. UCLA versus USC in the battle for Los Angeles.
No. 14 UCLA men’s tennis (4-3) will take on No. 24 USC (6-5) at Marks Stadium on Friday. This will be the first time the two teams face off this season.
USC has lost five of its last six matches, dropping from its highest ranking of No. 5 early in the season down to No. 24 after the ITA Indoor Championship this past weekend. Coach Billy Martin said the team knows it cannot take this match lightly.
“It’s going to be a tough one for (us) because they’re a very good team,” Martin said. “I’ve been surprised by their results at the beginning of the season. I expected them to be one of the top teams in the country.”
UCLA will enter the match hobbled by injuries. Sophomores Connor Hance and Keegan Smith are usually at courts five and two in the singles lineup , but are both out for the match. Martin said there isn’t a specific timeline for either player’s return.
“(Hance’s) injury is more serious, we have to wait for a doctor to tell us he’s ready to play,” Martin said. “(Smith) will be fine, but I’m still not going to rush either of them. If you jump the gun too soon he might go out there and really hurt himself and be out for an extended amount of time.”
These absences in the lineup have created holes for other Bruins to fill. Because of Smith’s absence from singles, freshmen like Govind Nanda and Patrick Zahraj are playing higher than their normal positions.
However, Zahraj said that the different positions don’t change how he or the team plays.
“The court is different,” Zahraj said. “We need to do our best as a team, everyone moves up, and we play our tennis.”
Zahraj also said he recognized the tough road for his teammates coming back from an injury.
“(Smith) sprained his ankle, like I did about two months ago, so I know what he has to go through,” Zahraj said. “I still don’t feel like I’ve found my game after my ankle injury.”
Due to both Smith and Hance’s absence from singles, freshman Eric Hahn saw his first dual match action of the season at the ITA Indoors.
Hahn, a Southern California native, said he grew up with the UCLA-USC rivalry and can’t wait to be a part of it.
“It means a lot to me to play against them,” Hahn said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s probably one of the most classic rivalries in sports.”