Gamecocks Roll into Sweet 16 with Second-Round Win over FSU
COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 6, 2023) – The No. 8 University of South Carolina men’s tennis team posted a hard-fought 4-1 win over No. 18 Florida State in the second round of the NCAA Championships, held at the Carolina Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks improved to 21-6 on the season with the victory and advance to the round of 16 next week where they will face the winner of Sunday’s match between Wake Forest and Tennessee.
The Gamecocks jumped out to an early lead by taking the doubles point. A short rain-delay interrupted play midway through the doubles action, but the stoppage seemed to have a positive effect on the 48th-ranked duo of Jake Beasley and James Story. After falling behind 4-2, Beasley and Story rallied to win four-straight games to take the No. 2 match, 6-4. Just minutes later, Casey Hoole and Raphael Lambling finished off an efficient 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot, securing the important doubles point for Carolina.
In singles action, Toby Samuel showed why he is ranked in the top-10 in the country, making quick work of seventh-ranked Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc, 6-1, 6-1, at the top of the lineup to give Carolina a 2-0 advantage. FSU got on the board at No. 4 singles when Joshua Dous-Karpenschif knocked off Raphael Lambling in straight sets by identical 6-4 scores.
The remaining four matches all went to a deciding third set. Casey Hoole, ranked No. 102 in the country, gave the Gamecocks their third point of the match with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win over Andreja Petrovic at No. 5 singles.
Connor Thomson earned Carolina’s final point at No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set, 7-6, Thomson used a pair of service breaks in the final set to rally for a 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 win over Loris Pourroy, sending the Gamecocks to the round of 16.
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No. 8 South Carolina 4, # 18 Florida State 1
Doubles (Order of finish 2, 3)
1. (1) Samuel/Thomson (SC) led (34) Dous-Karpenschif/Cornut-Chauvinc (FSU), 5-4 suspended
2. (48) Beasley/Story (SC) def. Petrovic/Pourroy (FSU), 6-4
3. Hoole/Lambling (SC) def. Smith/Silagy (FSU), 6-2
Singles (Order of finish 1, 4, 5, 2)
1. (10) Toby Samuel (SC) (7) def. Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc (FSU), 6-1, 6-1
2. (16) Connor Thomson (SC) def. Loris Pourroy (FSU), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2
3. Youcef Rihane (FSU) led (116) James Story (SC) (112), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 5-4 suspended
4. Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) def. (122) Raphael Lambling (SC), 6-4, 6-4
5. (102) Casey Hoole (SC) def. Andreja Petrovic (FSU), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
6. Jamie Connel (FSU) led Lucas da Silva (SC), 7-6 (5), 5-7, 2-1 suspended
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