PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

San Diego men’s tennis swept the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ( ITA) All-American Championships singles and doubles titles on Sunday, Sept. 29. With their victory, Oliver Tarvet and Stian Klaassen became the first male
USD student-athletes to clinch All-American status this year.

The victory marks the first time a Torero has ever won a title at this event. USD junior and No. 3 ranked college tennis player in the country, Oliver Tarvet, became the fifth player to ever win both the singles and doubles titles at the season’s first major national tournament. Tarvet is also the first Torero to
accomplish this feat since 2015.

Tarvet talked about the significance of being able to claim this title as a junior and what the accomplishment means to him.

“Winning a national championship was always my dream when I came to college, and to do it in singles and doubles was something I never imagined,” Tarvet said. “It makes it even more special that I received All-American status for the wins, and that’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

The tennis star is from St. Albans, England and started the morning with an effortless walkover title after Sebastian Gorzny of Texas Christian University (TCU) retired from the final due to injury. Tarvet advanced from the semifinal to the final on a walkover as well after TCU’s Pedro Vives withdrew from the semifinal due to injury. Tarvet defeated many ranked opponents in straight sets and won 50 out of 70 games played. 

“This win alongside the other great teammates makes the season something that we’re all really excited for as we’re confident we can reach new achievements such as hosting NCAA’s and being a team that’s competing for a national championship,” Tarvet said. 

USD tennis player Stian Klaassen is originally from Ziest, Netherlands and is a redshirt junior. Combined with Tarvet, the pair is the No. 23 ranked duo in the nation for mens tennis doubles. At the ITA All-American Championships Titles, Klaassen and Tarvet defeated Marko Miladniovic and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen from Baylor University, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, [10-5].

Klaassen talked about his success with  Tarvet this early on in the season and his hopes for the rest  of  the year going forward. 

“We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season,” Klassen said. “While this win is exciting, our goal is to thrive in May during the NCAA team tournament. The work we put in now will pay off then.” 

On their way to the doubles championship match in Tulsa, OK, Klaassen and Tarvet won all four of their matches in straight sets. They defeated the teams ranked No. 3, 6, 26, and 72 in the country and were able to win 49 of 74 games total throughout the tournament. 

Klaassen and Tarvet became the first Toreros ever to reach the doubles final. While Toreros have made it to the singles final in the past, this is the first time a Torero duo has ever reached the doubles final.

USD junior Oliver Tarvet wins singles. Photo courtesy of @usd_tennis/Instagram

USD alumni, August Holmgren, reached the 2021 final but lost to current world No. 13 Ben Shelton. Holmgren is currently a professional tennis player and is the No. 2 ranked Danish player. His career-high rank was last seen this past August in 2024 at No. 163 in the world for singles. 

With their respective quarter final victories, Klaassen and Tarvet qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships, set to take  place  from  Nov. 18-24. This is the first time the championships will take place in the fall rather than during the spring season. 

In the past season, spring of 2024, the Toreros took home their first WCC Tournament title since 2022. The team received their eighth West Coast Conference (WCC) regular season title by defeating LMU (11-10, 4-4 WCC) with a decisive 4-0 win. To follow up this victory the Toreros defeated Santa Clara (18-6, 4-4 WCC) in the semifinal at the Aztec Tennis Center in San Diego on April 25 and Pepperdine (14-11, 7-1 WCC) on Saturday, April 27 to win the 2024 WCC Tournament. 

With their impressive performances at the ITA All-American Championships, Oliver Tarvet and Stian Klaassen have set the tone for what could be a groundbreaking season for USD men’s tennis. Their historic victories not only place them among the elite in college tennis, but also demonstrate the strength and potential of the Toreros as they aim for further success in both singles and doubles competitions.   As they look ahead to the NCAA Championships and other major tournaments, the dedication and   teamwork they’ve shown will continue to drive them toward even greater accomplishments and victories  on the national stage.

USD tennis players Tarvet and Klaasen showing their joy on the court. Photo courtesy of @usd_tennis/Instagram