Oct. 14, 2011

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Several Gamecocks competed in singles events at the ITA Carolinas Regional in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Friday. Freshman Andrew Adams and sophomores Chip Cox and Nick Jones won both of their singles matches on Friday, while senior Ivan Machado earned a win over the tournament’s seventh seed in the singles round of 64 after a victory in the opening round earlier in the day.

Chip Cox was the early starter for the Gamecocks, taking the court at 8 a.m. He was unaffected by the early start, however, powering past The Citadel’s Peter Bleach 6-3, 6-2. Cox was solid in his 6-4, 6-4 second-round win over Andrew Pecht of Elon. After a long break between matches, it was the end of both sets that caused Cox some difficulty. He broke in the first set for a 5-3 lead but could not close out the set on his own serve. The sophomore stuck with it, though, and broke again to win the set. After the two players traded breaks in the second, Cox again surged ahead 4-2 only to drop his final service game, which allowed Pecht to pull within 5-4. Among South Carolina’s gutsiest players, though, Cox would not release his advantage for long, using well-timed approaches to finish the match off at the net with another service break.

Andrew Adams played his typical battling match in the first round against East Carolina’s Nicolas Soriano. Adams fell behind a break right out of the gate, but got it right back in the second game and consolidated it by holding at Love for a 2-1 advantage. He went on to win the next two games, including another hold that saw him fight of several break points, for a 4-1 edge that delivered the 6-3 first-set victory. In the second, the Gamecock freshman pounced early and often, breaking Soriano in his first three service games to claim the set 6-2. Adams advanced to face Elon’s Carlos Arboleda in the round of 64, earning a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Kyle Koch got up two breaks early in both sets of his first-round win over Brice Allanic of College of Charleston. The big-hitting Gamecock freshman wore down his opponent over the course of the match to move into the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 win. Koch advanced to play SC State’s Peteris Vinogradovs in the round of 64. The match went to three sets, with Koch earning a 7-6(5) tiebreaker in the first set, before Vinogradovs won the match with a 6-3 score in both the second and third sets.

Ivan Machado took down his first-round opponent, Appalachian State’s Sebastian King, 6-2, 6-4. In his first singles action of the season, South Carolina’s senior leader dropped his first service game but played a brilliant point to break King in the ensuing game. Back on his heels, Machado put up a defensive lob that King could not put away, allowing Machado to become the aggressor and put the game away with an angle volley to get back on serve. King would not win another game in the set. A break in the third game of the second set sealed the win for the Gamecocks. Machado advanced to the round of 32 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over SC State’s Archie Nikitin, who was the tournament’s seventh seed.

Carl Eguez continued his efficient play in the tournament, dispatching Will Kent of UNC Greensboro 6-3, 6-2. He advanced to face the tournament’s 14th seed, Jason Tahir of Duke in the round of 64. The match went to three sets, with Tahir winning the first 6-1, before Eguez responded with a 6-1 victory in the second set. Tahir claimed the victory with a 6-3 win in the third set.

After a first-round bye, Nick Jones got out to an early lead on UNC Greensboro’s Channon Varapongsittikul but hit a rough patch with some unforced errors in the middle of both sets. In the first, Jones gutted out a late break of serve for a 7-5 win. In the second he made his break in the first game of the set hold up in the final games to win the set 6-4.

Freshman Ben Barnette competed against Clemson’s Dom Maden in the opening round where he suffered a 6-4, 7-5 loss.

Play continues on Saturday in both singles and doubles. The full schedule of matches has not yet been announced.

South Carolina Results

Singles Round of 128
Chip Cox (SC) def. Peter Bleach (CIT) 6-3, 6-2
Andrew Adams (SC) def. Nicolas Soriano (ECU) 6-3, 6-2
Kyle Koch (SC) def. Brice Allanic (CofC) 6-4, 6-4
Ivan Machado (SC) def. Sebastian King (ASU) 6-2, 6-4
Carl Eguez (SC) def. Will Kent (UNCG) 6-3, 6-2
Dom Maden (CLEM) def. Ben Barnette (SC) 6-4, 7-5

Singles Round of 64
Chip Cox (SC) def. Andrew Pecht (Elon) 6-4, 6-4
Nick Jones (SC) def. Chanon Varapongsittikul (UNCG) 7-5, 6-4
Andrew Adams (SC) def. Carlos Arboleda (Elon) def. 6-0, 6-1
Peteris Vinogradovs (SCST) def. Kyle Koch (SC) 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3
Jason Tahir (Duke) def. Carl Eguez (SC) 6-1, 1-6, 6-3