Oct. 10, 2009

ORLANDO – South Carolina senior Diego Cubas scored a straight-set victory today to win the Singles A Draw of the Central Florida Invitational. Ranked No. 28 in the country, Cubas won back-to-back matches in the event to open the 2009-10 season. The Gamecocks also got a singles victory from senior Ivan Cressoni in the Singles B Draw.

Cubas won the Singles A Draw with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Claudio Romano Saturday after battling past UCF’s Marc Rocafort in a third-set tie-breaker on Friday. Rocafort bounced back with a 6-3, 6-2 win over South Carolina sophomore Ivan Machado.

In the Singles B Draw, Blaze Schwartz brought home the title for the Knights with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Chris Sheehan. Cressoni scored his first singles win of the season with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 decision over Johan Beigart. For the Singles D Draw, Gamecock freshman Henry Menzies suffered his first collegiate loss, falling 2-6, 6-4, 6-7 (3) to UCF’s Mario Samson, who won the flight.

The Gamecocks are back in action next weekend when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the ITA Regional, which begins on Fri., Oct. 16.

Results

Singles A
(28) Diego Cubas (SC) def. Claudio Romano (UCF) 6-3, 6-4
Marc Rocafort (UCF) def. Ivan Machado (SC) 6-3, 6-2
**Cubas wins flight**

Singles B
Blaze Schwartz (UCF) def. Chris Sheehan (SC) 6-1, 6-3
Ivan Cressoni (SC) def. Johan Beigart (UCF) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
**Schwartz wins flight**

Singles C
Brock Sakey (UCF) def. Eugene Dolgovykh (UCF) 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3
**Sakey wins flight**

Singles D
Mario Samson (UCF) def. Henry Menzies (SC) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3)
**Samson wins flight**