Men's Tennis Set for Historic Showdown with Fifth-Ranked Southern Cal

MELBOURNE, Australia— South Carolina men’s tennis (2-0) will make history as it takes on fifth-ranked Southern Cal (0-0) beginning at 12 a.m. ET from Melbourne Park in the first men’s collegiate dual-match to be hosted at a professional Grand Slam.  Live streaming of the match, which will be played on courts 10-15 at Melbourne Park, will be available via ESPN3/WatchESPN.

The 25^th-ranked Gamecocks enter the match on the heels of a season-opening, doubleheader sweep over The Citadel back on Jan. 11.

“We’re going to play arguably one of the best teams in the county at the Australian Open, in an environment where you’re naturally energized,” said head coach Josh Goffi.
 
South Carolina will see its first test against a ranked opponent on Tuesday as they look to improve on a 2018 season in which they took down a total of six ranked teams.
 
Gamecock Notables:
– No. 7 Paul Jubb will see his first match action of the spring after sitting out the Gamecocks’ season-opening doubleheader. Jubb climbed into the nation’s top-10 singles rankings after a 12-2 fall tournament slate that included four ranked wins in addition to winning the singles title at the ITA Carolina Regional.
– Yancy Dennis, the Gamecocks’ lone senior, picked up a pair of doubles wins in addition to a 6-2, 6-1 win in his first singles match of the season against The Citadel.
– South Carolina had six freshmen (Daniel Rodrigues, Raphael Lambling, Jake Beasley, Joseph Brailovsky, Beau Pelletier & Patrick Cacciatore) in its first lineup of the season against The Citadel.
 
Scouting the Trojans:
– Southern Cal will see its first dual-match action of the season in Tuesday’s match at the Australian Open.
– The Trojans finished 2018 with a 20-9 record and advanced to the round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament where they fell to UCLA.
– Tuesday’s match will mark just the fifth all-time meeting between South Carolina and Southern Cal and the first since 1990.
– The Trojans currently hold a 1-3 advantage in the all-time series.
 
Rankings Roundup:
South Carolina
Singles

• No. 7 Paul Jubb
• No. 72 Joseph Brailovsky

Southern Cal
Singles

• No. 8 Daniel Cukierman
• No. 19 Laurens Verboven
• No. 32 Logan Smith
• No. 34 Tanner Smith
• No. 47 Bradley Frye
• No. 56 Jake DeVine

Doubles

• No. 45 Daniel Cukierman/ Tanner Smith

Quotable- Head Coach Josh Goffi:
On playing the first collegiate match at a Grand Slam
“It says a lot about our program— Not just about level, but what we stand for and our core values. The ITA didn’t just go out and randomly pick somebody. I feel we were chosen because of who we are, what we represent and we compete.”

Up Next for the Gamecocks:
South Carolina will head back to the states following Tuesday’s match where they will prep to host a home doubleheader on Sat., Feb. 2, against Charlotte and South Carolina State.

For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).