SAN DIEGO - It was a long time coming for 11th-year USD men's tennis head coach
Ryan Keckley and his Toreros, but they made incredible home support for a second straight day count at Hogan Tennis Center and made history Saturday afternoon by advancing through to the program's first-ever NCAA Sweet 16.
"It's storybook stuff," said Keckley.
"We went out and executed really well. We handled the big moments. Most importantly, we just handled the emotions. When you think about it, this is such an emotional rollercoaster. I've been doing this for 11 years so this moment is what I've been thinking about, this moment is what I've been dreaming about. So, for these players to come here and manage the expectations, the nerves, the crowd – everything – the way they did, that's what helped us cross the finish line."
The No. 15 national seed Toreros on Friday in front of a season-high 602 spectators, downed UC Santa Barbara to win their first-round tilt for the fifth successive season. In each of the prior four years, and seven times overall during Keckley's tenure, USD had then fallen just short in the second round. That included four times to USC, most recently last year at home, and twice to UCLA.
With another 434 boisterous fans in attendance Saturday in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship, Keckley's men swept past 20th-ranked UCLA to punch their ticket into uncharted territory.
Hosting the San Diego Regional for the second year in a row and second time in program history, 17th-ranked USD, the West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament champion, improves to 22-5. The Toreros are now winners of 14 of their last 15, with nine straight home wins since a dramatic 4-3 loss to the Bruins on Feb. 26, and a 14-3 home record for the season. UCLA, now out of the Big Ten Conference, completes its campaign at 18-8.
The prior three meetings between the Southern California rivals had in fact all ended 4-3, and were decided by a third set on the final singles court, going back to 2022, with two of those matchups also going the way of USD.
On Saturday, it was All-American seniors
Stian Klaassen and
Oliver Tarvet who led the way, with the duo first off the doubles court together at No. 2 to get things started, before accounting for the final two decisive singles points for the match clinch within literal minutes of each other in what is likely the last home match of their legendary and unprecedented careers at USD.
Despite needing just over three hours to dispatch UC Santa Barbara in Friday's first round while UCLA handled Arizona State in exactly two, the Toreros came out seemingly with more energy, and gradually took control on both of the top two doubles courts by the count of 5-2, while No. 3 doubles was tied at 4-4.
After Klaassen and Tarvet cruised 6-2 over Spencer Johnson and Bengt Reinhard, the No. 34-ranked tandem of sophomore
Adrien Berrut and redshirt junior
Lambert Ruland closed out Andy Nguyen and Aadarsh Tripathi on the No. 1 court, 6-3. The Toreros thus improved to 23-4 on the season in doubles points, including a perfect 2-0 thus far in this tournament.
All six singles courts were close at around the midway point of first sets, with only Ruland (4-1) and Klaassen (4-2) establishing a multiple-game cushion at No. 4 and No. 3, respectively. Klaassen, out of Zeist, Netherlands, ultimately rattled off six straight games after dropping the first two, to win his first set.
Five of the six first sets would go the way of the hosts, with Tarvet, the 19th-ranked three-time WCC Player of the Year, getting a break of serve at 4-4 over No. 56 Spencer Johnson at No. 1 and taking the frame, 6-4.
Manvydas Balciunas, the 94th-ranked WCC Freshman of the Year, won his initial set via the first tiebreaker of the entire regional, 7-6 (7-3), at No. 2 over No. 80 Rudy Quan.
Ruland would go on to sweep Tripathi, 6-3, 6-2, for the second time this season to double USD's advantage to 2-0 in the dual.
Tarvet and Johnson had split their two collegiate dual meetings to date, both in straights, with Tarvet winning last season in Los Angeles, and Johnson back in February en route to their respective team victories. In Saturday's rubber match, Wimbledon sensation and England native Tarvet broke serve at 2-2 in the second set. Johnson broke right back for 3-3 and held serve for 4-3. Tarvet would get another break for 6-5, and serve out a love game for 6-4, 7-5, to put UCLA on the brink.
In the blink of an eye, Klaassen would take down No. 40 Emon van Loben Sels on the No. 3 court in come-from-behind fashion via second-set tiebreaker, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), to make history for Keckley and his program. Klaassen had trailed 4-3, 5-4 and 6-5 in that second frame.
Up Next
USD advances to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 next weekend, in Austin, Texas, as top-ranked No. 2 national seed Texas swept away No. 32 SMU at home, 4-0, in a match that ended about an hour and a half after the excitement in San Diego. Please check back at
USDtoreros.com for the exact date and time of that matchup.
As it stands then, Saturday also marked the final home appearances for USD's legendary senior class of Klaassen, Tarvet and Neo Neidner. Niedner was up on the No. 6 singles court, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0, when Klaassen's clincher halted the remainder.
Results
#17 San Diego 4, #20 UCLA 0
Doubles
1. #34 Adrien Berrut/Lambert Ruland (USD) def. Andy Nguyen/Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) 6-3
2. Stian Klaassen/Oliver Tarvet (USD) def. Spencer Johnson/Bengt Reinhard (UCLA) 6-2
3. Manvydas Balciunas/Vincent Marysko (USD) vs. Gianluca Ballotta/Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA) 5-5, unfinished
Singles
1. #19 Oliver Tarvet (USD) def. #56 Spencer Johnson (UCLA) 6-4, 7-5
2. #94 Manvydas Balciunas (USD) vs. #80 Rudy Quan (UCLA) 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 1-0, unfinished
3. Stian Klaassen (USD) def. #40 Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Lambert Ruland (USD) def. Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA) 6-3, 6-2
5. Adrien Berrut (USD) vs. Andy Nguyen (UCLA) 4-6, 6-3, 2-2, unfinished
6. Neo Niedner (USD) vs. Cassius Chinlund (UCLA) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0, unfinished
Match Notes:
UCLA 18-8, 10-3 Big Ten; National ranking #20 | San Diego 22-5, 6-1 WCC; National ranking #17
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,1,3)
2026 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship San Diego Regional - Second Round
Time of Match - 2:34; Attendance - 443
