No. 18 Men’s Tennis Opens 2026 Spring Campaign at Home
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 18 South Carolina men’s tennis team begins the 2026 spring campaign at home with a doubleheader on Sunday, January 11. The Gamecocks first face North Florida at 10:00 a.m. before taking on The Citadel at 4:00 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center. Admission to the event is free.
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- South Carolina was ranked No. 18 in the first ITA Poll of the year, released earlier this week. In the SEC Preseason Poll, the team finished in the top half of the league at eighth for the second consecutive season.
- Four Gamecocks currently have tabs in the ITA singles and doubles rankings. Sophomore Paul Barbier Gazeu leads the team in the singles standings at No. 55 followed by Lucas da Silva who sits at No. 80 and Max Stenzer at No. 104.
- Two pairs represent the Garnet & Black in ITA doubles rankings going into the spring season opener. Sean Daryabeigi is ranked 31st with Stenzer and 88th with da Silva.
FALL RECAP
The Gamecocks went 45-32 in singles and 27-12 in doubles across six events during the 2025 fall slate. Gazeu headlined the teams’ singles performances with a 10-4 standing, landing a spot in the NCAA Individual Championships after qualifying at the ITA East Sectional Championships. Daryabeigi and Stenzer led the team in doubles with a 9-3 record, also punching their ticket to the NCAA Individual Championships where the pair earned All-American status after advancing to the quarterfinals at the event. The Gamecocks’ impressive run in NCAAs included two ranked victories, one of which was over No. 16.
MEET THE TEAM
South Carolina’s 2025-26 squad features 10 Gamecocks, consisting of one senior (da Silva), one junior (Daryabeigi), five sophomores (Gabe Avram, Gazeu, Cole Henceroth, Atakan Karahan, Stenzer) and one freshman (Charlie Swaine). Swaine is the team’s lone newcomer, hailing from across the pond. The Bristol, United Kingdom native enters his collegiate career with a 10.59 WTN.
A LOOK BACK AT SPRING 2025
The Gamecocks capped the 2024-25 season with a 21-8 overall record and a historic run through SEC play, setting a program record with an 11-3 conference mark that included six upset victories. South Carolina earned 10 ranked wins on the year, highlighted by four straight victories over ranked opponents. The Garnet & Black reached the SEC Championship final for the second consecutive season, ultimately falling to Texas, 4-1. The campaign concluded in California with a 4-0 loss to Stanford in the NCAA Super Regionals, as South Carolina finished the season ranked No. 13 nationally.
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
North Florida went 8-17 for its 2024-25 season which included a 4-4 conference standing. The Ospreys defeated Lipscomb 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament before falling to top seeded North Alabama 4-2 in the semifinals. Andreas Scott was the team’s top singles player, going 13-9 from the No. 1 position. The senior ended the season on an 11-match win streak.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Citadel went 4-27 for the 2024-25 season with a 0-7 conference standing. The Bulldogs wrapped up 2025 with a 5-0 loss to ETSU in the Southern Conference Championships. Senior Noah Van Dyke went 7-23 from the top singles position, pairing with Tucker Hendrix to go 3-13 from the top doubles position.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Gamecocks and Ospreys had their first matchup in program history last season at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. South Carolina swept North Florida 4-0 after picking up the doubles point following victories from the top two positions. Daryabeigi, Karahan and alum Casey Hoole notched singles victories.
- South Carolina leads The Citadel 34-4 in the all-time series record between the two programs, entering Sunday riding a 29-match win streak. The last 13 consecutive matches have resulted in 7-0 sweeps.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be streamed on Track Tennis with live scoring available on Stat Broadcast. Links to each can be found on the men’s tennis schedule page. Fans can also follow the matches via live updates on X, @GamecockMTennis.
For the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
