Ohio State
University of Southern California
No. 1 Buckeyes Survive Against USC, Defeat the Trojans 4-3
4/5/2026 7:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Ohio State is now 8-1 in Big Ten competition
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 1 Ohio State defeated No. 26 USC 4-3 Sunday at the David X. Marks Angeles Tennis Center, marking the Buckeyes seventh-consecutive victory.
The match marked Ohio State's seventh away win of the season, the Buckeyes are now 5-0 against Big Ten competition on the road.
Ohio State took the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. In singles, the Buckeyes clinched with two-set victories by Nikita Filin and Bryce Nakashima and a 7-5 third set win by Aidan Kim to clinch the 4-3 triumph over the Trojans.
Ohio State improves to 21-3 on the season and 8-1 in the Big Ten. Filin, Kim and Nakashima all earned two wins on the day.
The Buckeyes return home next weekend for two double headers. On Friday at 9:30 a.m., Ohio State faces Northern Kentucky University before playing Oregon later in the day at 6 p.m. The Buckeyes remain home and host Washington at noon on Sunday and Toledo at 4 p.m.
Doubles
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Aidan Kim and Bryce Nakashima increased their winning streak to four on court three, dominating 6-1 to secure the first doubles victory for the Buckeyes.
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On court one, Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin were tied at 3-all before winning three-consecutive games to clinch the doubles point for Ohio State.
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Alexander Bernard and Alex Okonkwo found themselves down 5-2 early and fought out of a matchpoint to make the score 5-3 when the point was clinched.
Singles
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Nikita Filin started singles off with a quick 6-3 set one win on court four and clinched the first singles point for the Buckeyes with a powerful 6-1 set two, putting Ohio State up 2-0.
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On court three, Jack Anthrop was defeated in two sets by Max Ested to put the Trojans within one, 2-1.
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Bryce Nakashima collected his second win of the day on court five in a 6-3, 6-4 match.
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In a close two-set match on court two, Preston Stearns was defeated by Nathan Trouve 6-4, 7-5.
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With the Buckeyes up 3-2, USC tied that match on court six in three sets. Brandon Carpico was defeated 6-4, 5-7, 2-6, leaving the match hanging in the balance of court one.
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Aidan Kim earned an early 6-3 first set victory before dropping a close 6-4 second set. In the deciding set on court one for Ohio State against the Trojans, Kim and Branko Djuric were knotted at five games each. Kim grabbed the first game on his serve and earned a breaker after a 40-40 matchpoint clinch, putting the Buckeyes over USC, 4-3.
#1 Ohio State 4, #26 USC 3
Singles
1. #11 Aidan Kim (OSU) def. Branko Djuric (USC) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
2. Nathan Trouve (USC) def. #23 Preston Stearns (OSU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Max Ested (USC) def. #20 Jack Anthrop (OSU) 6-1, 6-3
4. #75 Nikita Filin (OSU) def. Jack McCarthy (USC) 6-3, 6-1
5. Bryce Nakashima (OSU) def. Andrin Casanova (USC) 6-3, 6-4
6. Connor Church (USC) def. Brandon Carpico (OSU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
1. #2 Brandon Carpico/Nikita Filin (OSU) def. Andrin Casanova/Jack McCarthy (USC) 6-3
2. #33 Alexander Bernard/Alex Okonkwo (OSU) vs. Max Ested/Nathan Trouve (USC) 3-5
3. #39 Aidan Kim/Bryce Nakashima (OSU) def. Connor Church/Branko Djuric (USC) 6-1
Match Notes:
USC 14-6, 6-3 Big Ten; National ranking #26
Ohio State 21-3, 8-1 Big Ten; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,3,5,2,6,1)
T-3:07
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Players Mentioned
