Sept. 24, 2010

ATHENS, Ga. – Juniors Ivan Machado and Henry Walker each collected singles victories for South Carolina men’s tennis as the Gamecocks completed their first day’s action in the 43rd Annual Southern Intercollegiate Championships at Dan Magill Tennis Center. Machado also teamed with Harry Menzies to pick up the Gamecocks’ lone doubles win of the day.

Machado got things going quickly for South Carolina, battling to a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Liberty’s Siim Tuus first thing Friday morning in Division I singles action. The win pits Machado against Vanderbilt’s Ryan Lipman, who is ranked 20th in the nation, in second-round action. Also in Division I singles action, Alexander Kostanov fell to Miami’s Waylon Chin 7-5, 6-1.

Menzies and senior Chris Sheehan suffered losses in their first-round matches in Division II singles. In the Division III bracket, Walker pushed past Erik Halaj of Stetson in the first round 6-4, 6-1, setting up an SEC matchup against Tennessee’s Bryan Swartz in the second round. The Gamecock junior dropped a late service break to lose the first set 7-5, but bounced back to even the match with a 6-4 second-set win. Swartz got up early in the third, however, and earned the win with a 6-2 final set.

In doubles action, Machado and Menzies teamed up for the first time this season and made quick work of Miami’s Carl Sundberg and Santiago Nieto, topping the tandem 8-4. In the Division I doubles second round, they will face Georgia’s team of Javier Garrapiz and Hemus Pieters. In the Division II doubles play, Kostanov and Sheehan dropped an 8-3 decision to Joe Solisbury and David O’Harle of Memphis. Freshman Jake Bowling and Walker are also in the Division II doubles bracket and, following a first-round bye, will face Shea Thomas and Giancarlo Lemmi of Liberty on Saturday.

Results

Division I Singles
Ivan Machado (SC) def. Siim Tuus (LU) 7-6 (5), 6-3
Waylon Chin (MIA) def. Alexander Kostanov (SC) 7-5, 6-1

Division II Singles
Evandro Rosindo (MER) def. Chris Sheehan (SC) 6-2, 6-1
Oliver Strecher (LIP) def. Harry Menzies (SC) 6-4, 7-5

Division III Singles
Njai Stene (SU) def. Jake Bowling (SC) 6-3, 6-3
Henry Walker (SC) def. Erik Halaj (SU) 6-4, 6-1
Bryan Swartz (TN) def. Henry Walker (SC) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2

Division I Doubles
Harry Menzies/Ivan Machado (SC) def. Carl Sundberg/Santiago Nieto (MIA) 8-4

Division II Doubles
Joe Solisbury/David O’Harle (MEM) def. Alexander Kostanov/Chris Sheehan (SC) 8-3