Jan. 6, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis is ranked No. 52 in the nation, according to the ITA rankings released on Tuesday. Two Gamecocks earned singles rankings with junior Diego Cubas leading the way in 42nd position. Freshman Ivan Machado came in at No. 106 after a solid fall campaign.

As a team, the Gamecocks turned in a combined singles record of 52-30 and a doubles mark of 25-11 playing in four fall tournaments. South Carolina closed the 2007-08 campaign with an 11-13 overall record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, falling to then-No. 12 Florida after a 4-3 upset of then-No. 19 Alabama. This spring, the Gamecocks return nine of the 10 players on the 2007-08 roster.

Cubas closed the 2007-08 season ranked 26th in the ITA’s Mideast region in singles with a 13-10 overall record, including a 12-9 mark in dual-match play. Through four tournaments this fall he was the Gamecocks’ most dominant player, posting a 10-1 record, mostly playing in Flight 1. His lone loss came when he was forced to retire his match against Kalle Norberg of Mississippi in the second set.

Machado stamped his mark on the college tennis scene right away with a 9-2 singles mark through four fall tournaments. He opened the season by winning the Flight 4 Singles at the South Carolina Fall Invitational with a straight-set win over North Carolina’s Cameron Ahari. After a 2-1 record at the Gamecocks’ home tournament, Machado went 7-1 through the remaining three events.

South Carolina opens its spring dual-match season on Sat., Jan. 17, with an indoor doubleheader against Wofford and Troy. Matches begin at 10 a.m. at the South Carolina Indoor Fieldhouse.