March 15, 2009

ATHENS, Ga. – No. 15 South Carolina men’s tennis suffered its second 4-1 defeat of the weekend, falling Sunday at No. 4 Georgia, as inclement weather moved the contest indoors. The doubles tandem of Jamie Cuellar and Johannes Pulsfort won their second match of the weekend for the Gamecocks (12-3, 2-2 SEC), but in singles just Pedro Campos was able to pull out a win, topping No. 60 Jamie Hunt in the No. 2 position.

In the opening doubles contests, the Gamecocks’ top duo over Diego Cubas and Ivan Machado fell behind the nation’s 12th-ranked team of Jamie Hunt and Nate Schnugg, dropping the match 8-3. The Nos. 2 and 3 matches were on pace to finish in rapid succession, and Georgia’s No. 2 team of Drake Bernstein and Javier Garrapiz knocked off Campos and Ivan Cressoni 8-5 just before Cuellar and Pulsfort scored their 8-6 in over Josh Varela and Christian Vitulli, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the match.

Garrapiz, ranked 84th in the country in singles, made quick work of Cuellar 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 3 singles contest. Cubas put up a battle in the No. 1 position, taking the first set against No. 7 Schnugg to a tie-breaker, but fell 6-7, 4-6. The No. 4 match was the most hotly contested of the day, and with a 3-0 lead proved to be the final point the Bulldogs needed for victory as Josh Varela won a pair of tie-breakers to deal Machado a 6-7, 6-7 defeat. Campos almost simultaneously scored the Gamecocks’ lone singles win of the day, knocking off Hunt 7-5, 7-6. With the match decided, the Nos. 5 and 6 singles matches were halted in their early stages.

South Carolina steps out of SEC play briefly for a matchup against No. 17 Wake Forest. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the match has been moved to Thursday at 2 p.m. a Sam Daniel Tennis Center.

No. 4 Georgia 4, No. 15 South Carolina 1

Doubles: (Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3)
1. (12) Jamie Hunt/Nate Schnugg (GA) def. (64) Diego Cubas/Ivan Machado (SC) 8-3
2. Drake Bernstein/Javier Garrapiz (GA) def. Pedro Campos/Ivan Cressoni (SC) 8-5
3. Jaime Cuellar/Johannes Pulsfort (SC) def. Josh Varela/Christian Vitulli (GA 8-6

Singles: (Order of Finish: 3, 1, 4, 2)
1. (7) Nate Schnugg (GA) def. (64) Diego Cubas 7-6 (5), 6-4
2. Pedro Campos (SC) def. (60) Jamie Hunt, 7-5, 7-6 (2)
3. (84) Javier Garrapiz (GA) def. Jamie Cuellar 6-1, 6-2
4. Josh Varela (GA) def. Ivan Machado (SC) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6)