Nov. 8, 2014

ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina men’s tennis posted 12 victories in its 15 matches played on the second day of play at the Bulldog Scramble at the Dan Magill Tennis Center at the University of Georgia. Three Gamecocks were undefeated on the day, recording two singles wins and a doubles victory as well. Teams will play one single and one doubles match to wrap up the event on Sunday.

Match Changer

Senior Kyle Koch shook off a tough day against ranked opponents Friday to open Saturday’s singles action with a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win over Louisville’s Santiagao Salazar. In his second single match he yielded just four games in straight-set victory over Georgia Tech’s Carlos Benito.

Key Stat

Another Gamecock turning the page from Friday was sophomore Sam Swank, who was one of Saturday’s undefeated Gamecocks. After dismissing Pally Ray of Louisville in straight sets to open the day, he fought out his first three-set win of the season, defeating Van Damrongsri of Louisville 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 as the last match on court.

Other Notables

• Senior Thiago Pinheiro improved to 6-2 in singles over his two fall tournaments with a perfect day Saturday.
• Swank and classmate Andrew Schafer teamed up in doubles to record a hard-fought 8-7 (10) tiebreak victory over Damrongsri and Salazar of Louisville.
• Freshman Harrison O’Keefe had a strong day in singles with a pair of wins. Playing his fifth three-set match of the season, he rallied back to top Elijah Melendez of Georgia Tech 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the morning then posted his most efficient win of the season in a 6-1, 6-1 effort against Georgia State’s Felipe Jaworski.

South Carolina Results

Singles
Thiago Pinheiro (SC) def. Van Damrongsri (UL) 6-4, 6-1
Kyle Koch (SC) def. Santiago Salazar (UL) 6-0, 6-0
Sam Swank (SC) def. Pally Ray (UL) 6-2, 6-4
Carlos Benito (GT) def. Andrew Schafer (SC) 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2
Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. Elijah Melendez (GT) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Daniel Yun (GT) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-2, 6-4

Eric Diaz (GA) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2)
Andrew Schafer (SC) def. Elijah Melendez (GT) 6-3, 6-1
Kyle Koch (SC) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 6-2, 6-2
Sam Swank (SC) def. Van Damrongsri (UL) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Thiago Pinheiro (SC) def. Jannis Koeke (GST) 6-2, 6-3
Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. Felipe Jaworski (GST) 6-1, 6-1

Doubles
Koch/Pinheiro (SC) def. Alex Ghilea/Andrew Harris (OK) 8-2
Schafer/Swank (SC) def. Van Damrongsri/Santiago Salazar (UL) 8-7 (10)
William Bushamuka/Trey Yates (UK) def. Mayronne/O’Keefe (SC) 8-3