ANTHONY SHARKEY / ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The University of San Diego men’s tennis team had one of the best seasons in program history this year. The Toreros ended the 2025 season with a record of 25 wins and only four losses. Not only did they win the West Coast Conference (WCC) league, but they also tied for the second most wins in the history of the program. After winning all seven of their WCC games, the Toreros went on to defeat both Pacific University and Pepperdine University to claim the 2025 WCC Tournament title. 

Blake Kasday is a graduate student and has been playing for USD tennis since 2020.Kasday commented on the team’s success this season.

“I don’t think this season has been one breakout year,” Kasday said. “It’s been a lot of consistency over many years.” 

The results  speak for themselves — this current WCC Tournament victory made it eight titles in the last nine seasons for the men’s tennis program. In 2024, Kasday won the ITA Southwest Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award. Experienced players like Kasday play a huge         role in the   team’s success. 

“For   next season I think the team is gonna do special things,” Kasday said. “I think they have another top-ten season ahead. I don’t think next season is gonna be a rebuild, it’s gonna be a continuation.”

Stian Klaassen, a redshirt junior on the USD men’s tennis team, echoed the same notion. 

“It wasn’t a surprise to us,” Klaassen said. “The work we all have been putting in in the fall, and even in previous years, made this no surprise.” 

Klaassen finished his season with impressive personal records: 18-4 in singles and 17-5 in doubles. 

“Every practice you have to be an open-minded student of the game and be able to give 100% mental focus throughout the whole practice,” Klaassen said. 

Adrien Berrut, a USD first-year, shared a similar technical approach to tennis.

“I love playing one against one,” Berrut said. “I always say it’s like a boxing match. You can feel the hit of your opponent and then you hit back.”

Berrut has been playing tennis since he was four years old. He won both a Swiss National Championship in the U18 singles and a European Championship in the U18 doubles competition for his home country of Switzerland. 

“It was pretty tough to arrive in a well-established team,” Berrut said. “But I think they all really showed me what the [team] values are and [what] the team identity is.”

USD junior  Neo Niedner also weighed   in    on   the culture  of the team. 

“Our experience, unity and team culture really set us apart,” Niedner said. “Not every team has that, and I think it’s a big reason why we were able to come out on top so often this year.”

Niedner finished the season with a singles record of 15-6, with big wins against the University of California, Irvine and the University of Southern California in the NCAA Tournament. 

“I started playing tennis when I was six years old,” Niedner said. “Ever since then, becoming a professional player has been my dream — that’s been my main motivation.”

Many of the team’s players started young and have professional ambitions, including USD junior Iiro Vasa, who has also played since he was four years old.

“Coming from Finland in Northern Europe, tennis has opened so many doors for me — I’m incredibly grateful for everything it’s brought into my life,” Vasa said. “Without it, I wouldn’t have ended up at USD or had these experiences. It keeps giving me new opportunities, and that’s what keeps me going.”

USD senior Nikhil Niranjan reflected on the season.

“It means a lot to me and to everyone on the team,” Niranjan said. “To do what we were able to do … achieve a 25-4 win loss record and reach as high as number six in the nation … speaks volumes to the whole program and everyone behind the scenes who has contributed to the program in one way or another.”

The men’s tennis season ended on May 4 against the University of Southern California in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.  Although many of the players were disappointed with the result, the men’s tennis  program accomplished new milestones. The Toreros earned the right to host the NCAA   Tournament Regional for the first time in USD history. They also managed to break the attendance record with over 650 spectators in their opener against University of California, Irvine, winning 4-2 in the Hogan Tennis Center. 

“Something we really try to pride ourselves on is not only making it a fun experience for us, but making it a fun experience for everyone who comes,” Kasday said. “We really try to be a team that is involving the crowd and knows that their presence actually does make a difference in the outcome of our matches.”

The men’s tennis team has had an incredible season but they are hungry for more. The Toreros’ aim for next season is simple: winning the national championship.

USD tennis team after winning the WCC championship. Photo courtesy of @usd_tennis/Instagram