Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis opened their dual season with back-to-back sweeps over Charlotte and The Citadel on Friday. The Gamecocks started the day by taking down the 49ers 7-0 and followed it up with a 7-0 victory over the Bulldogs.
During the match versus Charlotte, the Gamecocks were dominant in doubles. The nation’s No. 1 pair of Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson proved their ranking, taking down their opponents 6-1. Jake Beasley and partner James Story secured the doubles point with their 6-2 win.
Play transitioned to singles where both Beasley and Story picked up 6-1, 6-1 wins. Story’s victory clinched the match win for South Carolina since Thomson had gained the first singles point when his opponent retired the match.
No. 56 Casey Hoole won his match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Both remaining matches required third set tiebreakers for their decisions. No. 15 Samuel ultimately came out on top of a tight tiebreak 10-8 while Raphael Lambling won his in an extended 12-10 tiebreak.
During the second match of the day versus The Citadel, the Gamecocks swept doubles play, winning all three matches. The most notable win came from Thomson who paired up with freshman Lucas Da Silva to take down their opponents 6-1.
In singles, South Carolina was unstoppable, winning all six matches in straight sets. Da Silva’s win was his first career singles win in a dual match. Thomson clinched the match from the top spot in the lineup.
The Gamecocks will be in action next on Sunday when they take on No. 18 North Carolina at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center, located at 523 Superior Street. The match will begin at noon with doors opening at 11 a.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
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(9) South Carolina 7, Charlotte 0
Doubles (order of finish: 1, 2)
- #1 Toby Samuel/Connor Thomson (SC) def. Coy Simon/Vasco Prata (CLT) 6-1
- James Story/Jake Beasley (SC) def. Matias Iturbe/Ivan Dreycopp (CLT) 6-2
- Raphael Lambling/Casey Hoole (SC) vs. Abhi Vannemreddy/Aditya Narayanan (CLT) 5-2, unfinished
Singles (order of finish: 2,6,4,5,1,3)
- #15 Toby Samuel (SC) def. Coy Simon (CLT) 6-0, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)
- Connor Thomson (SC) def. Vasco Prata (CLT) 6-2, 5-0, retired
- Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Matias Iturbe (CLT) 3-6, 6-0, 1-0 (12-10)
- James Story (SC) def. Abhi Vannemreddy (CLT) 6-1, 6-1
- #56 Casey Hoole (SC)…