Hoole to Play for Regional Title
Cary, N.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis sophomore Casey Hoole will play for the singles title at the ITA Carolina Region Championships on Tuesday. Hoole is the first Gamecock to reach the title match since Paul Jubb won the tournament in 2018.
Hoole fought a lengthy battle against No. 60 Rafael Iziquierdo Luque of NC State in the semifinal round. The Gamecock started strong, going up 3-0 in the first set but Luque was able to battle back to force the first set to a tiebreak. Hoole regained his early momentum and took the first set 7-6(5). Luque was able to even the match with a 6-2 second set, but Hoole didn’t back down, taking the final set 6-4.
This win over No. 60 marks Hoole’s second consecutive upset win after earning his career first over No. 80 in the quarterfinals. The sophomore has taken down six opponents en route to the title match and has dropped only two sets along the way. Hoole has knocked out both the No. 5 and 6 seeds, as well as a fellow 17-32 seed.
Hoole will face Presbyterian’s Dusan Milanovic in the title match on Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m.
The singles consolation semifinals featuring Gamecock freshman Lucas da Silva were cancelled due to several withdraws. Da Silva went 4-0 in the consolation bracket after dropping his first match in the main draw.
In doubles, Jake Beasley and James Story fell to Presbyterian’s Maxwell Benson and Milanovic. The Gamecocks took the first set 6-4, but the Blue Hose pair evened the match with a 6-4 set win of their own. The match was settled in a lengthy 10-point tiebreaker where the Gamecocks fell 13-15. Beasley and Story went 3-1 at the tournament and are 6-2 on the season.
The Carolina Region Championships will conclude on Tuesday with the singles title match beginning at 10 a.m. followed by the doubles title match. Full draws and results are available on the tournament webpage.
For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
Singles Semifinals
Casey Hoole (SC) def. (60) Rafael Iziquierdo Luque (NC State) 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4
Doubles Quarterfinals
Maxwell Benson/Dusan Milanovic (Presbyterian) def. Jake Beasley/James Story (SC) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(13)
