Vandecasteele Wins in Pac-12 Opener

Friday, February 28

Eugene, OR

2:30 PM

University of Oregon

USC

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

02/28/20 | Men's Tennis

Box Score | USC 4, ORE 1

By: Zach Lawson

EUGENE, Ore. – Playing its first outdoor home match of the dual season, the Oregon men's tennis team opened Pac-12 play Friday afternoon with a 4-1 setback to No. 1 USC. Freshman Luke Vandecasteele had the Ducks' lone point with a straight-set victory over a ranked opponent at No. 5 singles, while Brandon Lam and Charles Roberts picked up a win during an intense doubles point.

How It Happened: Lam and Roberts gave Oregon (9-4, 1-0) an early advantage during the doubles point with their 6-4 win over Stefan Dostanic and Brandon Holt on court two. The UO pair improve to 5-2 at the No. 2 spot in the doubles lineup this season.

In a top-20 matchup at the top spot, the visitors pulled even when No. 19 Daniel Cukierman and Riley Smith topped No.11-ranked Joshua Charlton and Ty Gentry, 6-4. Jesper Klöv-Nilsson and Riki Oshima were in a back-and-forth match with Mor Bulis and Ryder Jackson at No. 3 doubles but the Trojans pulled through with a 7-6(1) triumph to clinch the opening point.

USC (12-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead with straight-set wins at No. 2 and 3 singles by Cukierman and Bulis, respectively before Vandecasteele put the Ducks on the board. The UO freshman posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 83 Ryder Jackson for the first ranked victory of his still-young collegiate career. With his result, Vandecasteele improves to 13-8 this season with an 8-3 mark in dual play.

However, the Trojans clinched the match shortly after Vandecasteele's win with a victory on court six. At the time, Charlton and Oshima were leading in the second set of their matches at No. 1 and 4 singles; both trailed after losing the opening frame.

#1 USC 4, Oregon 1
Doubles
1. #19 Daniel Cukierman/Riley Smith (USC) def. #11 Joshua Charlton/Ty Gentry (ORE) – 6-4
2. Brandon Lam/Charles Roberts (ORE) def. Stefan Dostanic/Brandon Holt (USC) – 6-4
3. Mor Bulis/Ryder Jackson (USC) def. Jesper Klöv-Nilsson/Riki Oshima (ORE) – 7-6(1)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles
1. #19 Joshua Charlton (ORE) vs #24 Brandon Holt (USC) – 2-6, 4-3 unfinished
2. #1 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. Emmanuel Coste (ORE) – 6-1, 6-4
3. #15 Mor Bulis (USC) def. Ty Gentry – 6-3, 6-4
4. Riki Oshima (ORE) vs #78 Stefan Dostanic (USC) – 2-6, 6-5 unfinished
5. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) def. #83 Ryder Jackson (USC) – 6-3, 6-2
6. Jake Sands (USC) def. Jesper Klöv-Nilsson (ORE) – 6-4, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 3, 5, 6*
(* clincher)

Up Next: The Ducks continue their five-match home stand Sunday, March 1 against No. 22 UCLA. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the UO Student Tennis Center.

For more information about Oregon men's tennis, follow @OregonMTennis on Instagram and Twitter.