Men's Tennis Cruises Past No. 38 Arkansas, 5-2
March 23, 2018
No. 33 South Carolina 5, No. 38 Arkansas 2
COLUMBIA, S.C. — After three straight losses in SEC play, No. 33 South Carolina men’s tennis (13-6, 3-4 SEC) bounced back with a strong 5-2 win against No. 38 Arkansas at the Carolina Tennis Center on Friday.
South Carolina captured the doubles point, winning two out of three matches, and four Gamecocks earned singles victories in straight sets, including Paul Jubb, Yancy Dennis, Harrison O’Keefe and Wood Benton.
The win was the first for the Gamecocks since March 9 at Auburn and was their first win against a nationally-ranked opponent since March 4 at No. 17 Georgia.
DOUBLES
Yancy Dennis and Harrison O’Keefe were the first off the court with a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles against Jose Salazar and Alex Reco. The duo traded games with Reco and Salazar, before taking a dominant 4-1 lead and sealing the 6-3 win. The South Carolina tandem, which hadn’t played together since Jan. 28, improved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the SEC with the win.
Arkansas’ Oscar Mesquida and Adam Sunjurjo were able to even the score with a 6-3 win over Gabriel Friedrich and Thomas Mayronne at No. 1 doubles. The match began tied at 1-1, but Arkansas’ tandem extended its lead to 4-2 before closing in on the Gamecocks. The loss was the second for the South Carolina tandem, which hadn’t played together since Oct. 15 entering Friday’s match.
With the doubles point on the line, Paul Jubb and Wood Benton, who were paired together for the first time this season, came up big for the Gamecocks at No. 3 doubles. The tandem battled back and forth with Pedro Alonso and Jose Alonso, requiring the match to enter a tiebreaker. The South Carolina tandem stepped up, winning seven straight games to take the tiebreaker, 7-0, and giving the Gamecocks a 1-0 team lead.
DOUBLES
1. Oscar Mesquida/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) def. Gabriel Friedrich / Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-3
2. Yancy Dennis / Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. Jose Salazar/Alex Reco (AR) 6-3
3. Paul Jubb / Wood Benton (SC) def. Pedro Alonso/Jose Alonso (AR) 7-6 (7-0)
ORDER OF FINISH
2, 1, 3
SINGLES
With a 1-0 lead after doubles, Paul Jubb made quick work of his opponent, Oscar Mesquida, and helped the Gamecocks take a 2-0 team lead. Jubb is 12-2 in 2018 dual match play and is 10-2 at the No. 2 lineup spot. Similar to Jubb, Harrison O’Keefe rolled in his match on Court 4 against Alex Reco. The South Carolina senior bounced back from a tough loss at Kentucky on March 18 to earn his ninth win of the dual match campaign.
Yancy Dennis clinched the win for the Gamecocks by earning a perfect first set victory and powering past his opponent Josh Howard-Tripp on Court 3, 6-0, 6-4. With the win, Dennis is now tied for a team-high 12 dual match singles wins with Gabriel Friedrich and Jubb.
Thomas Mayronne surrendered the first team point for the Gamecocks with a loss to Pedro Alonso on Court 5. The senior Mayronne found himself in an early two-game hole in the first set. He won a game to make the score, 1-4, but Alonso powered past from there to take a 6-1 first set win. Mayronne was able to win three games in the second set, but wasn’t able to overcome Alonso’s efforts. The loss was just Mayronne’s second at No. 5 singles this season.
Wood Benton helped the Gamecocks get back on track with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Jose Alonso at No. 6 singles. Benton took an early 2-0 lead in the first set, while Alonso countered with two games to tie the score at 2-2. The players traded two games apiece to make the score 4-4, before Benton rattled off two straight games to take the first set. From there, the second set was controlled by Benton. The South Carolina junior surrendered just one game en route to his first singles win since March 9 against Lorenzo Rodriguez of Auburn.
No. 46 Gabriel Friedrich surrendered a heartbreaking loss to No. 65 Jose Salazar at No. 1 singles to end the match. Friedrich overcame a two-game hole to win the first set, 6-4, but dropped the second set in a tiebreaker. The third set was decided by a 10-point tiebreaker, in which Salazar edged out Friedrich, 10-5.
SINGLES
1. #65 Jose Salazar (AR) def. #46 Gabriel Friedrich (SC) 4-6, 7-6, 10-5
2. Paul Jubb (SC) def. Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-1, 6-3
3. Yancy Dennis (SC) def. Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) 6-0, 6-4
4. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. Alex Reco (AR) 6-1, 6-2
5. Pedro Alonso (AR) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-1, 6-3
6. Wood Benton (SC) def. Jose Alonso (AR) 6-4, 6-1
ORDER OF FINISH
2, 4, 3, 5, 6, 1
QUOTABLE
“I’m really proud of the guys, not just for the win, but for the way they went about it. They came out strong in doubles and continued right through the first hour and a half of singles. It was a convincing win today and I’m sure the guys will take some confidence into Sunday from this one.” — Head Coach Josh GoffiGAMECOCK NOTABLES
- No. 33 South Carolina has now faced five ranked opponents in its last five matches.
- The Gamecocks won the doubles point in Friday’s match for the first time since March 4. The Gamecocks have not lost a home match against Arkansas since April 3, 2009.
- With his win Friday, Yancy Dennis is tied for a team-high 12 wins in 2018 dual match play.
- The Gamecocks are 21-10 all-time against Arkansas and hold a nine-match winning streak against the Razorbacks.
- Paul Jubb is 12-2 in 2018 dual match play and is 10-2 at No. 2 singles.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks will continue their three-match homestand with a Top 40 SEC match against No. 36 Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Carolina Tennis Center. Free pretzels will be available fans at the match. South Carolina hosts Florida at 1 p.m. on April 1 the following weekend.
For updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
