Michigan
USC
Michigan Comes Up Short Against No. 24 USC
3/29/2026 3:41:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #24 USC 4, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (7-9, 3-5 Big Ten), USC (13-5, 5-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 3 -- at Oregon (Eugene, Ore.), 3 p.m. PT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 24-ranked USC on Sunday (March 29) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
After Michigan won at the No. 1 doubles position, USC secured the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3.
To begin doubles play, Max Dahlin and Pierce Shaya defeated the No. 68-ranked duo of Andrin Casanova and Jack McCarthy, 6-3, at No. 1. At No. 3, Mert Oral and Nicholas Steiglehner fell to Connor Church and Branko Djurie, 6-2.
In a tightly contested match at No. 2, USC's Max Exsted and Nathan Troure earned a 7-5 win over Bjorn Swenson and Alex Cairo to clinch the doubles point.
At No. 3 and No. 5 singles, Oral and Shaya dropped quick first sets, 6-1, to USC's Max Exsted and Andrin Casanova, respectively. Shaya fell 6-2 in the second set, and Oral followed with a 6-3 loss as USC built a 3-0 lead.
Dahlin provided Michigan's lone point, winning at No. 1 singles for his 11th straight victory. He earned a 7-5, 6-4 win over Djurie.
At No. 6, Connor Church defeated Arnav Bhandari, 6-3, 7-5, to clinch the team win for USC.
No. 73-ranked Swenson took the first set 7-5 at No. 2, but Troure responded with a 6-2 second set. The match was left unfinished with Swenson leading 4-1 in the third.
At No. 4, Steiglehner and McCarthy split the first two sets, 6-4, 4-6, before the match was left unfinished at 0-0 in the third.
Michigan continues its road stretch next weekend, traveling to face Washington and Oregon before returning home on Saturday, April 11, to host No. 28-ranked Michigan State at 5 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 10 Max Dahlin (U-M) d. Branko Djurie (USC), 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 -- No. 73 Bjorn Swenson (U-M) vs. Nathan Troure (USC), 7-5, 2-6, 4-1 (unf.)
No. 3 -- Max Exsted (USC) d. Mert Oral (U-M), 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 -- Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) vs. Jack McCarthy (USC), 6-4, 4-6, 0-0 (unf.)
No. 5 -- Andrin Casanova (USC) d. Pierce Shaya (U-M), 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 -- Connor Church (USC) d. Arnav Bhandari (U-M), 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- Max Dahlin/Pierce Shaya (U-M) d. No. 68 Andrin Casanova/Jack McCarthy (USC), 6-3
No. 2 -- Max Exsted/Nathan Troure (USC) d. Bjorn Swenson/Alex Cairo (U-M), 7-5
No. 3 -- Connor Church/Branko Djurie (USC) d. Mert Oral/Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M), 6-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3-2; Singles 5-3-1-6
Players Mentioned
