INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The men's tennis team opened play at the BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge on Friday afternoon with a 4-0 loss to USC at Indian Wells Tennis Garden courts, ending the Big Red's five-match winning streak.
 
The three-day event brings Cornell (7-6) into a field with seven other prominent programs with play running concurrently with the BNP Paribas Open – a long-running ATP Tour Masters 1000 event and Premier Mandatory event on the WTA Tour.
 
USC (9-5), which is seeded third in the tournament and ranked 16th in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, took the early lead by winning the top two doubles matches. The Big Red's No. 3 pairing of juniors Lev Kazakov and Joseph McAllister had a pair of breaks to take a 5-3 lead and was serving for the match when play was halted.
 
The Trojans kept momentum in singles, sweeping the first sets – though Kazakov forced a tiebreaker in his match at No. 2. Senior David Volfson (No. 4) and sophomore Eero Vasa (No. 5) were even in their respective second sets when the match was completed.
 
Cornell now shifts over to the consolation semifinals, where it will take on Michigan at 8 a.m. PDT on Saturday. The second-seeded Wolverines were toppled by Arizona State, 4-2, in their first-round match earlier on Friday. Cornell and Michigan have already clashed this season, with the 13th-ranked Wolverines winning a 4-1 affair on Feb. 1 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 

#16 USC 4, CORNELL 0

at Indian Wells Tennis Garden Courts; Indian Wells, Calif.
Singles
1. #16 Brandon Holt (USC) def. Alafia Ayeni, 6-3, 6-0
2. Lev Kazakov (C) vs. #51 Logan Smith, DNF
3. #23 Laurens Verboven (USC) def. Daniel Soyfer, 6-1, 6-2
4. #22 David Volfson (C) vs. Riley Smith, DNF
5. Eero Vasa (C) vs. Mor Bulis, DNF
6. Jake Sands (USC) def. Jake Hansen, 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
1. #28 Holt/R. Smith (USC) def. Ayeni/Vasa, 6-4
2. Jack Jaede/Verboven (USC) def. Hansen/Soyfer, 6-1
3. Kazakov/Joseph McAllister (C) vs. Cukierman/Tanner Smith, DNF