OJAI, Calif. - No. 14 Stanford's bid for a Pac-12 title ended in the semifinals, as No. 8 USC defeated the Cardinal 4-2 on Friday evening at the Pac-12 Championships at Libbey Park.
Despite falling behind 2-0, Stanford (17-6, 5-3 Pac-12) made a late charge in singles but was unable to complete the comeback. Daniel Cukierman edged Alexandre Rotsaert 6-3, 7-6 (6) at the No. 2 spot to provide the clincher.
Stanford and USC split their two meetings this season, with the Cardinal earning a 4-3 win in Los Angeles and the Trojans posting a 4-1 victory on The Farm.
Trailing 1-0, USC (19-7, 7-1 Pac-12) collected two more singles points and was on the brink of securing the match.
The Cardinal then received victories from Sangeet Sridhar (6-4, 6-4) and William Genesen (6-4, 6-3) to quickly close the gap.
Sameer Kumar was in control of his third set on court four, however Rotsaert was unable to extend his match against Cukierman.
Stanford now awaits its draw in the NCAA Championships, as selections are announced on Monday, April 29, at 3 p.m. PT. on NCAA.com.
No. 8 USC 4, No. 14 Stanford 2
DOUBLES
1. No. 11 Brandon Holt/Riley Smith (USC) d. Sameer Kumar/Timothy Sah (STAN) 6-4
2. Jack Barber/Axel Geller (STAN) vs. Jack Jaede/Laurens Verboven (USC) 5-4, UNF
3. Daniel Cukierman/Tanner Smith (USC) d. Alexandre Rotsaert/Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3
SINGLES
1. No. 10 Brandon Holt (USC) d. No. 12 Axel Geller (STAN) 6-1, 6-2
2. No. 20 Daniel Cukierman (USC) d. No. 55 Alexandre Rotsaert (STAN) 6-3, 7-6 (6)
3. William Genesen (STAN) d. No. 27 Laurens Verboven (USC) 6-4, 6-3
4. No. 104 Sameer Kumar (STAN) led Riley Smith (USC) 1-6, 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
5. Jake Sands (USC) d. Timothy Sah (STAN) 6-3, 6-0
6. No. 125 Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) d. Mor Bulis (USC) 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 6, 3, 2