USC Men’s Tennis Gears Up for Key Bay Area Battles Against Cal and Stanford
LOS ANGELES - The USC men’s tennis team is heading back to Northern California this weekend, and the stakes are rising. With a pair of ranked matchups on deck - including a rematch against No.
23 Cal and a heavyweight showdown with No. 3 Stanford - the No.
22 Trojans are staring down a pivotal stretch early in the season.
USC (3-2) is coming off a confidence-boosting 4-1 win over then-No. 15 Cal during the ITA Kickoff Weekend consolation round, a result that gave the Trojans their third win of the year and a real spark of momentum. That match, played at Cal’s Hellman Tennis Complex, showed USC’s ability to close out against top-tier competition - a trait that will be tested again this weekend.
The rematch with Cal is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. PT, once again in Berkeley.
The Golden Bears, now 4-2 on the season, come into the weekend ranked just one spot behind USC at No. 23.
While Cal doesn’t have any players currently ranked in singles, their top doubles pair - Timofey Stepanov and Tiago Silva - checks in at No. 55 nationally. That duo will be a key matchup to watch, especially with doubles often setting the tone in these tightly contested college matches.
After Saturday’s tilt, the Trojans head south to Palo Alto for a Sunday clash with Stanford, one of the early-season juggernauts. The Cardinal are a perfect 4-0 so far and will have a Saturday matchup with UCLA before welcoming USC to the Taube Family Tennis Center at noon on Sunday.
Stanford’s lineup is loaded. In singles, they boast two nationally ranked players in Alex Chang (#67) and Nicholas Godsick (#78).
The doubles side is just as potent, with Godsick teaming up with Hudson Rivera to form the No. 39-ranked duo, while Chang and Alexander Razeghi sit right behind at No. 40.
That kind of depth across both singles and doubles is what makes Stanford such a tough out - and a real litmus test for where USC stands early in the season.
For the Trojans, this Bay Area swing isn’t just about wins and losses - it’s about sharpening their edge before diving into Big Ten play. With two ranked opponents on the road, it’s the kind of weekend that can shape the trajectory of a season. Expect intensity, expect high-level tennis, and expect USC to come in ready to measure itself against some of the best in the country.