San Diego men’s tennis defeated No. 29 Princeton 4-1 on March 14 at the Hogan Tennis Center.
The match was significant as it featured two nationally ranked teams, with San Diego holding the No. 16 spot and Princeton ranked No. 29. The win adds to San Diego’s strong season performance and continues their momentum against high-level competition.
In doubles play, Stian Klaassen and Manvydas Balciunas gave San Diego an early advantage by winning their match 6-1 against Princeton’s ITA No. 87 pairing on court three. On the main court, Lambert Ruland and Adrien Berrut, ranked No. 73, secured a key victory over Princeton’s No. 7 duo with a score of 6-3, clinching the doubles point for San Diego after Ruland finished with a service ace.
During singles matches, Neo Niedner extended his personal win streak to six by defeating his opponent in straight sets (6-1, 6-3), doubling San Diego’s lead. Balciunas followed up his doubles success with a singles win (6-4, 6-4) on court two, putting the Toreros within one point of clinching the dual meet. After Princeton earned a point on court three, Ruland sealed the overall victory for San Diego by winning his singles match in three sets (7-5, 3-6, 6-3), again finishing with an ace.
Other matches were unfinished but showed competitive play from both teams; Klaassen and Oliver Tarvet each forced third sets before play concluded due to Ruland’s clinching win.
Looking ahead, San Diego will continue its homestand against Ivy League opponents Harvard and Columbia on March 19 and March 21 respectively.
