SAN DIEGO — In a top-30 matchup, No. 16 San Diego men's tennis won 4-1 over No. 29 Princeton on Saturday, at the Hogan Tennis Center.

"I want to first thank the USD faithful for coming out to support today at Skip and Cindy," head coach Ryan Keckley said. "It was an awesome atmosphere, a ton of fun to play against a high-caliber team like Princeton."
 
The Dutch duo of Stian Klaassen and Manvydas Balciunas started the doubles play off strong for USD, as they got off to a 5-0 start in their match before winning 6-1 against the ITA No. 87 pairing on court three. 
 
On main court, two ranked duos matched up as San Diego's No. 73 pairing of Lambert Ruland and Adrien Berrut won 6-3 against the No. 7 pairing from Princeton. A break point propelled the Torero duo before Ruland finished the set off with a service ace to clinch the doubles point for San Diego.
 
Heading into singles play with a 1-0 lead, Neo Niedner led the way for USD as he won his sixth match in a row, winning with 6-1, 6-3 sets to double San Diego's lead. In his now six-match win streak, Niedner has won each match in straight sets.
 
On court two, Balciunas followed up his ranked win in doubles with a pair of 6-4 sets to put the Toreros within one point to clinch the dual. 
 
After dropping a point on court three to make it 3-1 San Diego, Ruland had his second dual-clinching win of the week as he won his match 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, finishing it with yet another ace to give USD the win.
 
Although their matches were abandoned, both Klaassen and Tarvet came back from dropping the first sets in their matches and won the second sets to force a third. Facing off against the nation's 5th-ranked singles player, Tarvet dropped the first set 1-6 before winning the second 6-3, and dominating in the final set 5-0 before he could finish it off. Klaassen lost his first set 5-7 before winning his second set 6-2, while a third set was just about to begin when Ruland closed the door.

"The No. 1 match was a high-level affair, as was the entire dual match," said Keckley. "We've talked a lot about all nine boys emptying the tank regardless of the adversity we face. There will always be challenges, especially in college tennis. How you respond to those moments define your success over the season. All nine players are starting to buy into this thought process. I am excited to what next week will bring with our continued development." 
 
Up Next
San Diego men's tennis continues hosting Ivy League competitors as it faces off against current No. 50 Harvard on Thursday, March 19 at noon before taking on current No. 25 Columbia on Saturday, March 21 at noon to round out non-conference play and a four-match homestand.
 
Results
#16 San Diego 4, #29 Princeton 1
 
Doubles
1. #73 Lambert Ruland/Adrien Berrut (USD) def. #7 Paul Inchauspe/Landon Ardila (PU) 6-3
2. Vincent Marysko/Oliver Tarvet (USD) vs. Fnu Nidunjianzan/Meecah Bigun (PU) 4-3, unfinished
3. Stian Klaassen/Manvydas Balciunas (USD) def. #87 Sebastian Sec/Aleksandar Mitric (PU) 6-1
 
Singles
1. #44 Oliver Tarvet (USD) vs. #5 Paul Inchauspe (PU) 1-6, 6-3, 5-0, unfinished
2. Manvydas Balciunas (USD) def. Fnu Nidunjianzan (PU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Landon Ardila (PU) def. Vincent Marysko (USD) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
4. #105 Stian Klaassen (USD) vs. Sebastian Sec (PU) 5-7, 6-2, unfinished
5. Lambert Ruland (USD) def. Milan Markovits (PU) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
6. Neo Niedner (USD) def. Aleksandar Mitric (PU) 6-1, 6-3
 
Match Notes:
Princeton 13-5; National ranking #29
San Diego 10-4; National ranking #16
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,2,3,5)