Gamecocks Rally to Take 4-3 Victory Over Arkansas
March 16, 2017
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. — The No. 26 South Carolina men’s tennis team defeated Arkansas 4-3 on the road at the Billingsley Tennis Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Thursday, March 16 in comeback fashion. The Gamecocks took the doubles point to give them a 1-0 lead heading into singles play, but dropped to first three singles points to put them at a 3-1 deficit. The remaining Gamecocks singles matches fought back to three-set victories to secure the triumph, propelling South Carolina to 13-4 overall and 2-2 in SEC play.
The battle between the two top-50, SEC teams began with a tightly contested doubles point. The Gamecocks took the first match with the No. 1 pairing of Harrison O’Keefe and Yancy Dennis defeating Arkansas’ ranked duo of Mike Redlicki and Jose Salazar (56) 6-4. The win marks the first ranked win for the pair and the third ranked win in doubles play on the team this season. Andrew Schafer and Gabriel Friedrich closed out the doubles point with a 7-5 victory over Johan den Toom and Branch Terrell on court three. The Gamecocks were leading in the tiebreak of the remaining doubles match with Sam Swank and Alex Fennell up 5-3 over Adam Sanjujo and Oscar Mesquida on court three.
The Gamecocks headed into singles play with a 1-0 lead but soon found themselves trailing 3-1 with Arkansas taking the first three singles matches. Arkansas’ Redlicki (6) tied the score, defeating Friedrich (51) in the No. 1 spot 6-3, 6-3. Den Toom was the next to contribute for the Razorbacks defeating Alex Fennell in three sets to give the home team a 2-1 lead. Oscar Mesquida was the last of the Razorbacks to add his point, taking a straight set win over Yancy Dennis to give Arkansas a 3-1 lead before the Gamecocks launched their rally.
Freshman Paul Jubb started the upward trend for the Gamecocks, taking his opponent to three sets on court six to cut Arkansas’ lead to 3-2. The singles victory was his first since his straight set victory over Yladyslav Yanchenko of SC State on Feb. 10 and increased his dual-play record to 5-0 in his first season at South Carolina. Schafer evened the score with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over his opponent, Adam Sanjurjo, in the No. 3 spot. The triumph stretched his win-streak to 11, the highest on the team this season, and improved his dual-match record to 15-1 and career record to 94-50. O’Keefe clinched the match for South Carolina, taking the first two sets to a tiebreak but dominating the final set, giving up just two games en route to a Gamecock victory.
Quotable
Head Coach Josh Goffi: “What a match! You always need a win like that to build the belief and resilience of a team. Our guys showed a ton of grit and heart today. After the doubles point, Arkansas came out and took it to us for about an hour and a half. The conditions were tough and our guys could have easily packed it in, but they hung around long enough for Arkansas to leave a little opening for us to get back in the match. To be down match points on two courts and to come back to win both is a testament to this squad’s toughness.”
Results
SINGLES (1, 5, 4, 6, 3, 2)
1. #6 Mike Redlicki (AR) def. #51 Gabriel Friedrich (SC) 6-3, 6-3
2. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. #24 Jose Salazar (AR) 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
3. Andrew Schafer (SC) def. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
4. Oscar Mesquida (AR) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 7-5, 6-3
5. Johan den Toom (AR) def. Alex Fennell (SC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
6. Paul Jubb (SC) def. Juan Marino (AR) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
DOUBLES (1, 3)
1. Yancy Dennis/Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. #56 Mike Redlicki/Jose Salazar (AR) 6-4
2. Sam Swank/Alex Fennell (SC) vs. Adam Sanjurjo/Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-6 (3-5), unfinished
3. Gabriel Friedrich/Andrew Schafer (SC) def. Johan den Toom/Branch Terrell (AR) 7-5
Up Next
After facing Ole Miss on the road Saturday, March 18 in Oxford, the Gamecocks will return home to host Vanderbilt Friday, March 24 and Kentucky Sunday, March 26. Admission and parking for all home tennis matches is free of charge. For the latest information on South Carolina men’s tennis follow the Gamecocks on Twitter and Instagram, at gamecockmtennis or check in at GamecocksOnline.com.
