No. 15 UCLA men’s tennis (5-2) will face No. 21 USC (7-3) at the David X. Marks Tennis Stadium on Saturday. Daily Bruin reporter Badri Viswanathan delves into the memories that shape the team’s perspective on the crosstown rivalry.
Billy Martin paused when asked about his favorite memory from the Bruin-Trojan rivalry.
He experienced it as a UCLA athlete in 1975.
He coached in it 26 times over his ten years as an assistant coach with the Bruins.
And he has directed it 77 times in his 33 years at the helm.
Despite having 100-plus matches to ponder, Martin singled out the most recent showdown.
Then-No. 16 UCLA’s 4-2 home win over USC in the 2025 NCAA super regional May 9.
“We had lost two really close matches to them, and we were having a good year after not having a few good years since COVID,” Martin said. “And I was a nervous wreck. … I mean, how bad would it be if we lose three times?”
Martin said he thought his squad would be pitted against then-No. 7 San Diego, which had ten more wins than USC at the time, at the super regional.
But after the Trojans upset the Toreros, the Bruins found themselves facing their crosstown rival.
A battle was standing between the Bruins and the national quarterfinals.
“(It) was a special moment for all of us,” said sophomore Rudy Quan. “It was really cool to play them at the biggest stage. And it was a massive crowd.”
The margins were razor-thin.
The Trojans took the doubles point with a tiebreaker, and every singles match went to a third set.
That afternoon culminated with a match-clinching ace from then-sophomore Spencer Johnson.
Johnson, who suffered an elbow stress fracture early last season, said his transformation from injured to clincher served as his fondest memory of the rivalry.
Martin said it was a program-defining win.
“For some reason, that match meant so much to me last year, to get some revenge from the earlier matches and to move on to the final eight,” Martin said. “That was something that we needed to establish again.”
As the Bruins hoisted their super regional trophies, All-Big West honoree and former Big West Freshman of the Year Andy Nguyen was studying the group from afar.
The junior, who transferred from UC Irvine to UCLA last June, said he has reflected on that moment as he prepares to make his rivalry debut.
Redshirt freshman Cassius Chinlund, a Los Angeles local, said he first began attending UCLA-USC matches at eight years old.
“I have vivid memories of watching doubles and the guys on the team and even the names of the guys,” Chinlund said. “Even watching, I was like, ‘I want to be there, I want to do this.’ And now that I’m here, it’s emotional.”
Chinlund said his favorite rivalry memory was during the 2017-18 season, when he saw USC’s Brandon Holt take on UCLA’s squad. That season, the Bruins defeated the Trojans 4-3 on May 20 to advance to the NCAA semifinals.
Beyond the actual gameplay, Quan recalled the environment that helped fuel his childhood tennis dreams.
“I remember going to USC matches, and they always had free In-N-Out burgers,” Quan said. “I was supporting the Bruins, but I always thought it was great seeing two great teams battling it out.”
Just like Quan, future UCLA and USC tennis players may be sitting in the stands of David X. Marks Tennis Stadium, watching their heroes compete for yet another rivalry win.
The UCLA-USC clashes have provided history lessons to the newest generation of athletes.
The students who stopped to take notes will write the next chapter Saturday.
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