Jan. 31, 2009
ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina junior Ivan Cressoni posted the decisive win for the second time in three matches as the No. 51 Gamecocks (4-1) knocked off No. 55 Indiana in the consolation match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend event at Hopkins Indoors Courts at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Winning the doubles point for the fourth time this season got the Gamecocks off on the right foot, and the middle of the lineup set the stage for Cressoni’s late heroics.
Carolina battled for the doubles point to start the match. Joe Veeder and Pedro Campos made quick work of Indiana’s No. 2 tandem of Lachlan Ferguson and Guy Kubi 8-4, but the other two matches were going down to the wire. Diego Cubas and Ivan Machado brought their fight home first with a tie-breaker win over Jeremy Langer and Santiago Gruter at the No. 1 position, eliminating the need for Jamie Cuellar and Johannes Pulsfort to finish off their 7-4 lead over Peter Antons and Maxime Armengaud.
Machado bounced back from his singles loss Friday with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win over Kubi at the No. 4 spot to put the Gamecocks on top 2-0. Ferguson, ranked 23rd in the Midwest Region, squeaked out a 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 42 Cubas at No. 1 singles to get the Hoosiers on the board. At No. 2 singles, Campos split the first two sets with Gruter to set up a final set. Cuellar finished off his first win of the weekend, scoring a late service break in each set for a 7-5, 7-5 win over Langer in the No. 3 position. Gruter then prevailed in the third-set tie-breaker for a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 win over Campos to pull the Hoosiers within one at 3-2 with two matches remaining.
Will Kendall struck quickly for Indiana at No. 5 singles then held off Carolina’s Pulsfort in the second set for a 6-1, 7-5 victory that knotted the match 3-3. Meanwhile, Cressoni and Schroeder had split the first to sets at the No.6 spot, and the entire match hinged on the final set of the day’s final match. Cressoni, who had dropped the first set 4-6 before winning the second 6-4, got a break early in the set for a 3-1 lead and then added another late to claim the set and the match at 6-3.
South Carolina returns to Columbia for its next eight matches, beginning with a double-header on Sat., Feb. 7. The Gamecocks will take on Davidson at 10 a.m. and Charlotte at 2 p.m. at the USC Indoor Fieldhouse.
No. 51 South Carolina 4, No. 55 Indiana 3
Doubles: (Order of Finish: 2, 1)
1. Diego Cubas/Ivan Machado (SC) def. Jeremy Langer/Santiago Gruter (IU) 9-8
2. Joe Veeder/Pedro Campos (SC) def. Lachlan Ferguson/Guy Kubi (IU) 8-4
3. Jamie Cuellar/Johannes Pulsfort (SC) led Peter Antons/Maxime Armengaud (IU) 7-4
Singles: (Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 5, 6)
1. Lachlan Ferguson (IU) def. #42 Diego Cubas (SC) 7-5, 6-4
2. Santiago Gruter (IU) def. Pedro Campos (SC) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6
3. Jamie Cuellar (SC) def. Jeremy Lander (IU) 7-5, 7-5
4. Ivan Machado (SC) def. Guy Kubi (IU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Will Kendall (IU) def. Johannes Pulsfort (SC) 6-1, 7-5
6. Ivan Cressoni (SC) def. Jonathan Schroeder (IU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
