April 4, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Gamecock men’s tennis team suffered a 6-1 loss to No. 24 Alabama in SEC action on Friday at the Sam Daniel Tennis Facility. South Carolina falls to 9-10, 1-8 in league games, while Alabama improves to 15-8, with a 5-4 record against conference opponents. Freshman Johannes Pulsfort won Carolina’s lone point of the day with a victory at No. 4 singles.

Alabama took early control of the match, winning the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. Court two was suspended with the Crimson Tide holding a 5-4 upperhand. The duo of Matt Thibaudeau and Daniel Buikema defeated Carolina’s Pedro Campos and Johannes Pulsfort, 8-4, on court one, while Sammy Struyf and Javier Bes clinched the point with an 8-2 win on court three over USC’s Yevgeny Supeko and David Wolff.

In singles play, UA’s Saketh Myneni overpowered Supeko on court one, taking the match in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2, pushing Alabama’s lead to 2-0. Struyf defeated Campos on court three, 6-3, 6-2 to push the lead to 3-0, however, USC’s Johannes Pulsfort came from behind to defeat Bes, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in what would eventually become Carolina’s lone point of the day.

Diego Cubas battled on court two, taking the opening set against Alabama’s Thibaudeau to a tiebreaker, however, the Crimson Tide proved too strong in the second set, clinching the match with a 7-6, 6-2 victory.

South Carolina returns to the courts on Sunday, hosting No. 26 Auburn at 1 p.m. The South Carolina athletics department will be dedicating the newly placed gazebo to Susan DeMars, the late wife of Carolina head coach Kent DeMars, in a ceremony beginning at 11:45 a.m.

Complete match results are listed below:

Doubles:
1. Thibaudeau/Buikema (UA) def. Campos/Pulsfort (SC) 8-4
2. Myueni/Felsenthal (UA) vs. Cubas/Cressoni (SC) 5-4 DNF
3. Struyf/Bes (UA) def. Supeko/Wolff (SC) 8-2
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles:
1. Saketh Myneni (UA) def. Yevgeny Supeko (SC) 6-0, 6-2
2. Matt Thibaudeau (UA) def. Diego Cubas (SC) 7-6, 6-2
3. Sammy Struyf (UA) def. Pedro Campos (SC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Johannes Pulsfort (SC) def. Javier Bes (UA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
5. Daniel Buikema (UA) def. Ivan Cressoni (SC) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
6. Michael Jung (UA) def. David Wolff (SC) 6-2, 7-4(7)
Order of finish: 1, 3, 4, 2*, 6, 5