Finally, USC Beats Georgia and Wins Title : NCAA tennis: Trojans get their first national championship since 1976 by prevailing on Bulldogs’ home courts, 5-2.

USC’s first NCAA men’s tennis title since 1976 proved to be a family affair with a measure of international flavor added.

The top-seeded Trojans defeated No. 4 Georgia, 5-2, in Tuesday’s finals of the NCAA championships in front of a capacity crowd of 5,138 at Henry Feild Stadium in Athens, Ga.

It was the Trojans’ first title under the dual-match format adopted in 1977. USC reached the semifinals eight times before this year, but never made the finals.

Five times, the Trojans lost to Georgia at Athens.

“I’m feeling on top of the world,” said Dick Leach, USC’s coach since 1980 and a member of two Trojan teams that finished second when an open draw tournament with points for each victory was used to determine the champion.

“I’ve always been playing golf on Tuesdays of the NCAA finals and today, I got to come to the tennis matches. I haven’t felt this good since my son Rick won (men’s doubles) at Wimbledon last summer, and this was just as good. I’m very happy my youngest son, Jon, could be a part of this team and be here with me.”

Jon, a freshman who graduated from Laguna Beach High in January and then joined the Trojans, nearly gave USC its clinching point. Playing at No. 4 singles, Leach held two match points over Bobby Mariencheck, but ended up losing, 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

At No. 1 singles, freshman Brian MacPhie, ranked 14th nationally, lost to second-ranked Al Parker, 7-5, 7-5, but those were the only defeats for the Trojans.

USC’s international contingent of Byron Black (Zimbabwe), David Ekerot (Sweden) and Andras Lanyi (Hungary) each won. Black defeated Patricio Arnold, 6-4, 6-2; Ekerot topped Wade McGuire, 6-3, 7-5, and Lanyi beat Hector Nevares, 7-5, 6-4.

“We thought the whole key to us doing well here was (Ekerot and Lanyi’s) play,” Dick Leach said. “They had the weakest records during the year (Ekerot was 31-14, Lanyi 34-15), but they are also very strong players and they were magnificent all four matches here, (both) going 4-0.”

The Trojans’ other singles victory came when junior Donny Isaak defeated Ivan Baron, 6-2, 6-2.

USC (30-2) clinched the title when Black and MacPhie, ranked third nationally, defeated Arnold and Parker, 6-2, 6-4. Georgia is 27-3.

The Trojans went ahead for good in the seventh game of the final set, breaking Arnold’s serve.

“Byron really struggled to hold to go up 5-3, but once we went up, 5-3, I felt really good, because Brian MacPhie has one of the best left-handed serves in the country,” Dick Leach said. “We did get one match point on Al Parker’s serve, but that was a little teaser for me and we had to wait until Brian MacPhie served. He played a fabulous game and won his serve at love.”

The younger Leach was also ecstatic over the championship.

“Every day in practice, when I thought to myself I didn’t want to be out there, I thought about the possibility of winning the championship,” Jon Leach said. “It also made me work harder in high school, so I could come to USC.”

The title was USC’s 13th in men’s tennis, second only to UCLA’s 15. USC has won 66 NCAA men’s championships, plus eight wire service football titles.

The meet continues today with individual singles and doubles play. Conny Falk of Miami (Fla.) is top-seeded, with MacPhie seeded fourth and Black eighth.