Gamecocks Fall in SEC Tournament Second Round
April 26, 2018
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –
No. 40 Ole Miss 4, No. 28 South Carolina 1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 28 South Carolina men’s tennis (18-8, 7-5 SEC) dropped its first match of the 2018 SEC Tournament in a 4-1 loss to No. 40 Ole Miss on Thursday afternoon at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium.
The 10th-seeded Rebels handed South Carolina its first doubles loss in five matches and followed up with three singles wins on courts one, two and four to clinch the second-round win.
DOUBLES
The Gamecocks lost their first doubles point in over a month since dropping the doubles point to Ole Miss back on Mar. 25.
Ole Miss earned service breaks quickly at Nos. 1 and 3 and never looked back, winning 6-2 on court one before clinching the doubles point with a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles.
DOUBLES (1,3*)
1. (46) Tim Sandkaulen/ Grey Hamilton (OM) def. (38) Harrison O’Keefe/Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-2
2. (57) Gabriel Friedrich/Thomas Mayronne (SC) vs. Filip Kraljevic/ Zvonimir Babic (OM) 4-3 unfinished
3. Fabian Fallert/ Finn Reynolds (OM) def. Paul Jubb/Wood Benton (SC) 6-1
SINGLES
Just as Ole Miss took a 2-0 lead in the match with a singles win at No. 2, Wood Benton put away a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 to bring the South Carolina back within one.
The Gamecocks looked poised to battle back from early deficits as three singles matches were eventually went to a third set.
No. 31 Tim Sandkaulen overcame an opening-set loss to clinch the win for Ole Miss in a 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win on court one.
SINGLES (2,6,4,1*)
1. (44) Tim Sandkaulen (OM) def. (58) Paul Jubb (SC) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
2. (31) Filip Kraljevic (OM) def. (36) Gabriel Friedrich (SC) 6-3, 6-3
3. Thomas Mayronne (SC) vs. Fabian Fallert (OM) 2-6, 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
4. Grey Hamilton (OM) def. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) 7-6 (4), 6-4
5. Yancy Dennis (SC) vs. Finn Reynolds (OM) 5-7, 6-4, 0-3, unfinished
6. Wood Benton (SC) def. Cotter Wilson (OM) 6-1, 6-1
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- No. 28 South Carolina (18-8, 7-5 SEC) saw its two-match win streak and streak of five straight doubles victories snapped against Ole Miss on Thursday.
- The Gamecocks, who finished the regular season winning six of their last seven matches, have tied the second highest win total (18) under head coach Josh Goffi.
- Wood Benton (21-15) has now won back-to-back singles matches, dropping just five total games during that stretch.
- No. 63 Paul Jubb (22-8) is tied for the team lead with six wins over ranked opponents.
- No. 64 Gabriel Friedrich and Thomas Mayronne are still 7-2 on the year together in doubles play.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina will look ahead to this year’s NCAA Tournament with regionals scheduled to begin on Friday, May 11. This year’s NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Details on the South Carolina men’s and women’s tennis teams’ joint watch party will be released tomorrow.
For updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
