Four Gamecocks Ranked by Oracle/ITA
Nov. 15, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. – In their latest Division I Men’s National Singles Rankings, Oracle and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association placed four Gamecock men in the top 125. Francisco Cerunodolo, Yancy Dennis, Gabriel Friedrich and Thomas Mayronne each earned spots in the rankings after strong performances in the 2017 fall season.
Cerundolo, a freshman, took the highest ranking of the Gamecocks, tying for No. 57 in the Nov. 15 poll. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native took on five ranked opponents in the fall season, finishing with a 3-2 record. His highest-ranked win came against Tennessee’s Timo Stodder (No. 17), who Cerundolo defeated 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
On the international level, Cerundolo qualified for the singles main draw at the ITF Birmingham Futures, playing through to the second round. He also competed in the doubles main draw alongside fell Argentinian Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna, making it to the semifinals of the event.
Dennis went 9-4 this fall and earned the No. 63 spot in the Oracle/ITA rankings. The listing marks the highest the Reisterstown, Md., native has ever been ranked by the organization. Dennis made it through to the third round of singles at the ITA Carolina Regionals as well as making it to the doubles semifinals at the event alongside Wood Benton.
Friedrich is ranked No. 74 after the fall season. A senior, Friedrich finished the fall season 8-3 in collegiate competitions. He also competed on the international level representing his home country, Brazil at the ITF Birmingham Futures. He defeated four opponents to earn a qualifying spot in the bracket before advancing to the quarterfinals of the main draw.
As the fourth Gamecock in the rankings, Mayronne checks in at No. 117. The senior went 2-0 against ranked opponents this fall, taking down No. 61 Catalin Mateas (Duke) and No. 94 Dylan Kingm (Yale). He finished the fall season with an overall record of 11-3.
The Gamecocks will return to competition in the spring. Make sure to follow the team on Facebook and Twitter @GamecockMTennis for updates on their upcoming matches.
