Three former stars of the USC tennis team went to Melbourne last month to play in the just-concluded Australian Open. One of the trio, 32-year-old Yannick Hanfmann, played on a doubles team for Germany that made it to the semifinal of the Grand Slam event.
Hanfmann graduated from USC in 2015 with a B.A. in international relations, achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No.45 last year and made it to the Australian Open’s doubles semi-finals last month.
“It was quite nice,” Hanfmann said. “We got this momentum going and then all of a sudden we’re in the semifinals.”
Sabrina Santamaria and Giuliana Olmos also played in the Grand Slam event, one of four worldwide tennis championships that invite only the world’s highest-ranked players to compete.
Santamaria graduated from USC in 2015 with a B.A. in international relations. She represented the United States in doubles play at the Grand Slam event.
Olmos, who graduated in 2016, also has a B.A. in international relations from USC and represented Mexico this year in the open, playing both doubles and mixed doubles. She reached her doubles career high of world No. 6 in April 2023.
“They’ve got a beautiful, meaningful college degree without any student debt,” said former USC women’s tennis coach and current Cal State LA coach Richard Gallien. “They’re traveling the world, playing the Australian Open, doing these marvelous things, and having a blast doing it. I mean, it’s just a home run.”
Olmos credited her professional success to the USC tennis program, saying in an interview that her USC coaches taught her to act and train like a professional player early on rather than waiting until she was on the professional tour. Santamaria feels the same way.
“[USC Tennis] really helped my mental toughness,” Santamaria said. “It’s really helped me become more independent.”
Hanfmann, who primarily played singles, credits USC for encouraging him to develop his skills in doubles.
“USC was the first time I played doubles in my life,” Hanfmann said. “I think that’s a reason why I’m a good doubles player.”
Hanfmann, Olmos and Santamaria competed for the USC tennis team simultaneously and now enjoy each other’s company on the tour.
“It’s nice to see our old teammates,” Olmos said. “If we see each other on tour, we still cheer for each other.”
In the first round of the Open, Hanfmann beat Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks, the iconic American duo. His team continued to excel, defeating the No. 4 seeded doubles team in the tournament’s third round, followed by the No. 7 seeded team in the quarter-finals. However, he eventually lost to an all-Italian team in the semi-finals in a competitive third-set tiebreaker.
“Yannick is such an incredible athlete, one of the better athletes I ever coached,” said former USC tennis coach Peter Smith. “He was never afraid of a moment. You know, when we won the NCAAs in 2014, he was down match point in the semis, and he hit a winner on it in very difficult circumstances.”
Olmos competed in the Open this year for the fourth time, qualifying for a tournament that only invites the top-104-ranked tennis players without needing to qualify. She also made it to the doubles quarterfinals in 2021. Santamaria played in the tournament for the sixth time.
“The Grand Slams are the ultimate test in tennis. It’s the Super Bowl. It’s the World Series, you know, it’s the NBA finals,” Smith said.
“We always try to get together for lunch or dinner,” said Santamaria. “It kind of feels like we’re back in college sometimes together.”
Olmos also spent time with Hanfmann outside of tennis at USC, where they would help each other with homework.
“I took German language, so [Hanfmann] used to tutor me in German,” said Olmos. " It’s really nice seeing him on tour still.”
Hanfnamm also enjoyed spending his time outside of tennis at the Coliseum.
“I love watching America’s football,” he said. “I never missed a home game.”
Olmos and Smith gave the same advice to current college athletes looking to enter the professional world.
“This is the most fun I think you’ll ever have in school,” Olmos said. “Enjoy that and just try and learn as much as you can from every match.”
“USC is just a step in their path to getting their greatness,” Smith said.