South Carolina Tops LSU 4-1
BATON ROUGE, LA – No. 18 South Carolina men’s tennis won its first SEC road match in a 4-1 decision over LSU. After earning the doubles point, the Gamecocks won three straight-set singles matches to secure the win, with returning freshman Connor Thomson clinching the match.
In doubles, the Tigers won the match in the No. 2 spot, but the Gamecocks delivered in the Nos. 1 and 3 spots. No. 44 Daniel Rodrigues and Connor Thomsonbattled against LSU’s No. 60 Rafael Wagner and Ronald Hohmann, winning the match 7-5. Duo Jake Beasley and Toby Samuel played a closely contested match against LSU’s Nick Watson and Boris Kozlov. In the tiebreak, Beasley and Samuel came back from an early 1-3 deficit to win their match 7-6 (4), securing the point for the Gamecocks.
In singles, Beasley made quick work of his match, winning 6-2, 6-3 and earning the second point for South Carolina. Not far behind was No. 32 Rodrigues, who created early leads in both sets over LSU’s No. 99 Ronald Hohmann to win 6-3, 6-4. This marked Rodrigues’ fourth victory over a ranked opponent this spring.
On court two, the Tigers closed the match to 3-1, but No. 118 Thomson delivered the match-clinching win in the No. 3 spot. Thomson’s first set against LSU’s Tom Pisane went to a competitive tiebreak, which Thomson won 7-6 (11). He carried that momentum into his second set, where he delivered a commanding 6-2 win.
The Gamecocks return home for more SEC action at the Carolina Tennis Center on Fri., Mar. 5, when they host Tennessee.
For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
(18) South Carolina def. LSU 4-1
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3*)
1. (44) Daniel Rodrigues / Connor Thomson (SC) def. (60) Rafael Wagner / Ronald Hohmann (LSU) 7-5
2. Joao Graca / Joey Thomas (LSU) def. (59) Raphael Lambling / Phillip Jordan (SC) 6-2
3. Toby Samuel / Jake Beasley (SC) def. Nick Watson / Boris Kozlov (LSU) 7-6 (4)
Singles (Order of Finish: 6, 1, 2, 3*)
1. (32) Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. (99) Ronald Hohmann (LSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Rafael Wagner (LSU) def. (81) Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-3, 6-4
3. (118) Connor Thomson (SC) def. Tom Pisane (LSU) 7-6 (11), 6-2
4. Toby Samuel (SC) vs. Joao Graca (LSU) 6-3, 4-6, 3-3 DNF
5. Phillip Jordan (SC) vs. Boris Kozlov (LSU) 4-6, 6-4 DNF
6. Jake Beasley (SC) def. Thomas Descarrega (LSU) 6-3, 6-2
