Jan. 23, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 56 South Carolina dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 23 Georgia Tech in men’s tennis action Sunday afternoon at the USC Indoor Fieldhouse. Freshman Chip Cox pulled out the lone singles win for the Gamecocks (1-2) in a three-set comeback that keeps him undefeated in his young college career.
“Even though the score was 6-1, we definitely came out and made some strides today as a team – strides in the right direction,” South Carolina head coach Josh Goffi said. “We had some good energy. The [players] came out and fought enough to stay in the match. It was great for our young team to play an experienced team like Georgia Tech and fight hard against them. It was a great lesson for us today, and we are moving on.”
The Yellow Jackets started the match by taking all three doubles matches for a quick 1-0 lead in the match. Georgia Tech also got off to a hot start in the singles matches winning the first five points as their experience proved to be vital in a match against the younger Gamecocks.
Cox continued his stellar play this season, facing Yellow Jacket sophomore Magin Ortiga in the No. 5 singles match. The Gamecock freshman fell in a first set tiebreak to 6-7 (4), ut after that, Cox was all business. He did not drop a game in the second set and dominated the third set as well to take the match 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-2.
“Week in and week out, Chip is proving that he is one tough guy to beat,” Goffi said. “He is the epitome of what a Gamecock should be. He is like a pit bull. Once he gets ahold of you, he doesn’t let go.”
The Gamecocks continue play next week as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the ITA Kickoff Weekend. South Carolina will take on No. 55 UC Irvine in the first match of the event on Jan. 29, and will face either host Ohio State, No. 4 in the nation, or No. 75 William & Mary on Jan. 30. The Gamecocks are back at home on Feb. 5 in doubleheader action against Charlotte and Appalachian State.
Results
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2)
1. (8) Juan Spir/Kevin King (GT) def. Alexander Kostanov / Nick Jones (SC) 8-5
2. Eliot Potvin/Ryan Smith (GT) def. Ivan Machado / Chip Cox (SC) 8-3
3. Guillermo Gomez/Dean O’Brien (GT) def. Johannes Pulsfort / Chris Sheehan (SC) 8-3
Singles (Order of Finish: 1, 3, 4, 2, 6, 5)
1. (12) Guillermo Gomez (GT) def. Ivan Machado (SC) 6-4, 6-0
2. (48) Juan Spir (GT) def. Nick Jones (SC) 7-5, 6-4
3. Eliot Potvin (GT) def. Alexander Kostanov (SC) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
4. Kevin King (GT) def. Johannes Pulsfort (SC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Chip Cox (SC) def. Magin Ortiga (GT) 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-2
6. (93) Dusan Miljevic (GT) def. Chris Sheehan (SC) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
