Men’s Tennis Upsets No. 10 Columbia in Road Match

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The No. 18 South Carolina men’s tennis team (3-0, 0-0 SEC) grabbed its first upset and ranked win of the 2026 dual match season on Sunday afternoon, defeating No. 10 Columbia (1-1, 0-0 IVY) 4-3 at the Milstein Family Tennis Center in New York City.

Lucas da Silva and Paul Barbier Gazeu set the tone early in favor of the Gamecocks, racing to a dominant 6-1 win from the No. 2 position to kick off doubles action. Atakan Karahan and Cole Henceroth fought hard, keeping within a couple points early in the match but their opponents No. 37 Thanaphat Boosarawongse and Aditya Govila pulled away to a 6-3 win to erase the Gamecocks’ edge.

All eyes fell to the top of the lineup where Sean Daryabeigi and Max Stenzer were in a tight battle with Nicolas Kotzen and Andrew Ena. Locked at 6-6, the pairs went to a tiebreak where neither side gained more than a one point lead. A clutch winner from Daryabeigi sailed over the Lions’ defense to seal the 7–6(12) victory, clinching the doubles point and giving the Gamecocks an early advantage.

In singles, the match came down to the wire as the teams traded points across the lineup. Stenzer delivered the Gamecocks’ first singles win with a straight-set victory over Jun Hee You, 6-4, 6-2, before Columbia answered on courts two and six with wins over Daryabeigi and Charlie Swaine to tie up the match 2-2.

Gazeu steadied the momentum with a win on court three, defeating Thanaphat Boosarawongse, 6–4, 7-6(7-3) to remain undefeated in singles dual match play. Again, Columbia responded by cutting back on South Carolina’s lead after da Silva dropped his match in three sets, unable to complete his comeback from the top of the lineup.

It was sophomore Karahan who ultimately sealed the upset for the Garnet & Black, rallying past Abhishek Thorat in a thrilling three-set comeback battle, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), to secure the decisive fourth point and lift South Carolina to a 4-3 victory over the No. 10 Lions.

Up next the Gamecocks return home to host the ITA Kickoff Weekend Jan. 24-25. The event begins with South Carolina facing in-state rival Clemson on Sat., Jan. 24 at 11:00 a.m. The following day the Garnet & Black either face Harvard or Michigan State. If South Carolina defeats both opponents, it will qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 13-17.

For the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).

(18) South Carolina 4, (10) Columbia 3

DOUBLES (order of finish: 2,3,1)

1. #31 Sean Daryabeigi/Max Stenzer (SC) def. Niclas Kotzen/Andrew Ena (COL) 7-6 (12)
2. Paul Barbier Gazeu/Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC) def. Sachin Palta/Jordan Chang (COL) 6-1
3. Thanaphat Boosarawongse/Abhishek Thorat (COL) def. Atakan Karahan/Cole Henceroth (SC) 6-3

SINGLES (order of finish: 5,2,6,1,4)

1. #52 Nicolas Kotzen (COL) def. #80 Lucas da Silva (SC) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
2. #65 Sachin Palta (COL) def. Sean Daryabeigi (SC) 7-6 (2), 6-1
3. #55 Paul Barbier Gazeu (SC) def. Thanaphat Boosarawongse (COL) 6-4, 7-6 (3)
4. Atakan Karahan (SC) def. Abhishek Thorat (COL) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2)
5. #104 Max Stenzer (SC) def. Jun Hee You (COL) 6-4, 6-2
6. Aditya Govila (COL) def. Charlie Swaine (SC) 6-1, 7-6 (2)