Men's Tennis Falls to No. 4 Texas, 4-2
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 22 South Carolina men’s tennis team (9-2, 2-1 SEC) was handed its first loss of conference play on Friday evening, falling 4-2 to No. 4 Texas (12-3, 3-0 SEC) after taking the reigning SEC Champion down to the wire.
The Longhorns quickly took advantage with a 6-1 win from the third position to start off doubles play as No. 12 Oliver Ojakaar and Sebastian Eriksson took down Atakan Karahan and Cole Henceroth. No. 28 Lucas da Silva and Paul Barbier Gazeu won three straight sets to lead 4-2 from the top of the lineup and eventually fought off Texas’ comeback attempt to win 6-4 over No. 25 Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau. The two remain undefeated in dual matches this season, extending their record to 7-0 following the victory. The doubles point came down to No. 86 Sean Daryabeigi and Max Stenzer playing from the second spot in the lineup. The duo fell to a 4-3 deficit but rallied back to tie the match at 5-5. The Gamecocks went on to win two straight sets to take the match 7-5 and clinch the doubles point for the Gamecocks.
Things started off shaky for the Gamecocks at the start of singles play, as all six courts dropped their first sets. Da Silva held onto a 3-0 lead at the beginning of his opening set but his opponent, No. 3 Sebastian Gorzny, won five straight points to take a 5-3 lead and eventually take the set 6-4. Daryabeigi fought to a tiebreak in his first set but narrowly fell 7-6 (6).
Due to inclement weather the match was moved to the indoor facility, posing a threat to the Gamecocks as Texas claimed the 2026 ITA National Indoor Championship title earlier this month.
The Longhorns leveled out the match to 1-1 with a win on court four as No. 67 Abel Forger took down Atakan Karahan 6-3, 6-2. The Gamecocks attempt to shift the energy, taking early leads in second sets across three courts but Texas grabbed another point with a win on court six over Charlie Swaine to lead 2-1. South Carolina persevered, with the remaining four courts either taking leads or tying up scores in their second sets. The match started to look up as da Silva rallied back to win his second set in a strong 6-2 showing but Gazeu narrowly fell in a tight tiebreaker for his second set, allowing Texas to reach match point and extend their lead to 3-1.
The remaining three courts were locked in tight second sets with Daryabeigi tied up at 3-3, Avram at 5-5 and da Silva leading 1-0. The Longhorns flirted with match point as Daryabeigi’s opponent went up 5-4 in the second set but the junior helped keep the Gamecocks alive, winning the point on a deuce moments after Avram took his second set 7-5. The Gamecocks kept the momentum rolling as Daryabeigi fought through another tiebreak and came out on top, seconds before da Silva won his match in comeback fashion after dropping his opening set to cut the Longhorns lead to 3-2. The victory marked the second time this season that the senior has taken down the No. 3 ranked player as he previously defeated Matthew Forbes of Michigan State in January.
The match ultimately came down to Daryabeigi and Avram on courts two and five. Daryabeigi trailed 4-2 while Avram faced a 5-4 deficit. Both Gamecocks fought to the finish, but Texas secured the victory after Avram narrowly sent a shot long, dropping his third set 6-4.
South Carolina continues conference play this Sunday, March 1 at No. 16 Florida, facing the Gators at 12:00 p.m.
No. 4 Texas 4, No. 22 South Carolina 2
DOUBLES (order of finish: 3,1,2)
- No. 28 Lucas da Silva/Paul Bariber Gazeu (USC) def. No. 25 Sebastian Gorzny/Lucas Marionneau (TEX) 6-4
- No. 86 Sean Daryabeigi/Max Stenzer (USC) def. Kalin Ivanovski/Abel Forger (TEX) 7-5
- No. 12 Oliver Ojakaar/Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. Atakan Karahan/Cole Henceroth (USC) 6-1
SINGLES (order of finish: 4,6,3,1,5)
- No. 44 Lucas da Silva (USC) def. No. 3 Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
- No. 27 Kalin Ivanovskin (TEX) led No. 51 Sean Daryabeigi (USC) 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 4-3 unfinished
- No. 40 Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. No. 70 Paul Barbier Gazeu (USC) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
- No. 67 Abel Forger (TEX) def. Atakan Karahan (USC) 6-2, 6-2
- Jonah Braswell (TEX) def. Gabe Avram (USC) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
- Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) def. Charlie Swaine (USC) 6-3, 6-3
