Feb. 28, 2004
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 22 Carolina Gamecock men’s tennis team recorded their best start in two decades as they easily dispensed with the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb (1-8) Saturday, 7-0. The Gamecocks now set their sights on a string of three straight opponents ranked in the top 40, beginning with North Carolina Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Columbia. Carolina’s 10-0 record is the best start for a Gamecock men’s tennis team since 1984, when they started the season 13-0 before falling to Cal-Irvine.
Tom Eklund and Marcus Westman easily strolled to a No. 1 doubles victory over Mike Osborne and Phil Skelton, 8-3. Geraldo Knorr and Pedro Rodrigues seconded that with a, 8-5 victory over Danny Abrahao and Kern Phillip at No. 2 doubles to notch the best-of-three doubles point and gave Carolina the 1-0 lead on the match.
Tom Eklund notched his 10th singles win in as many matches, easily cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Bryan Edmonds at No. 2 singles. Geraldo Knorr gave Carolina the 3-0 lead as he quickly won a 6-0, 6-3 match at No. 4 singles over Kim Ellis. Rob Cassidy notched yet another victory, clinching the match for Carolina with a 6-0, 6-2 stomping over Andrew Corley at No. 6 singles.
At No. 3 singles, Pedro Rodrigues easily rolled to a 6-3, 6-0 win over Roberto Vasques, a fellow Brazilian. Marcus Westman notched a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles over Phil Skelton and Kazuya Otani won at No. 5 singles, 6-4, 6-3 over Mike Osborne.
The No. 22 Gamecocks next take on their neighbors to the north, the No. 38 North Carolina Tar Heels in a battle of North vs. South on Tuesday, Mar. 2 at 2 p.m. at the Sam Daniel Tennis Facility in Columbia.
