Gamecocks Win Seventh-Straight, Remain Perfect at Home

COLUMBIA, S.C.- South Carolina men’s tennis (9-1) defeated Georgia State (4-4) 5-2 on a gusty Saturday afternoon, extending its current win streak to seven-consecutive matches.  The Gamecocks are now a perfect 8-0 at home to begin the spring and 26-2 over the past three seasons at the Carolina Tennis Center.

The Gamecocks quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the match, capturing their eighth doubles point of the season with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to begin the match.  Carolina later had fourth-ranked Paul Jubb (17-2) and No. 76 Daniel Rodrigues (21-5) win each of their respective singles matches in straight sets with both winning 6-0 in their second sets just over an hour into the singles session.

South Carolina fell behind on the remaining four singles courts with Georgia State players taking the first sets on courts two, four, five and six.  Freshmen Beau Pelletier and Patrick Cacciatore bounced back with second-set wins and each had opportunities to clinch the team win with Carolina ahead, 3-1.  Cacciatore ultimately won the fourth Gamecocks’ point with a 6-4 third-set win before Pelletier added to the Carolina lead, also winning 6-4 in the third.

Carolina, unbeaten since returning from the Australian Open last month, is now off to its best start since beginning the 2016 season 10-1.

DOUBLES
Jubb and doubles partner Joseph Brailovksy won their second-consecutive match as a pair, improving to 5-1 on the season with a decisive 6-1 win. 

The European tandem of Rodrigues and Raphael Lambling later earned their team-leading 10th doubles win of the season on court four, defeating Georgia State’s Diego Padilha and Bailey Showers 6-3 to give the Gamecocks their eighth doubles point of the season.

Doubles Results:
1. Daniel Rodrigues/Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Padilha,Diego/Showers,Bailey (GSU) 6-3
2. Joseph Brailovsky/Paul Jubb (SC) def. Huynh,Steven/Coulaud,Quentin (GSU) 6-1
3. MacFarlane,Jack/Hussey,Giles (GSU) def. Jake Beasley/Patrick Cacciatore (SC) 6-2
Order of finish: 2,3,1

SINGLES
Carolina looked like clinching a quick win over the Panthers as Jubb and Rodrigues took just over an hour to complete their respective straight-set victories.  Jubb jumped ahead 4-1 in the opening set on court one before closing out a 6-4 win to begin the match.  The junior from Hull, England then blanked Roberts Grinvalds in the second to earn his fifth-consecutive singles win.  Jubb, a perfect 5-0 in dual matches this spring, is now 34-8 (.810) over his career in dual matches.

Rodrigues also raced out to a 4-1 first-set lead before winning eight of the final 10 games in the match to close out his 6-2, 6-0 win over Vazha Subladze.  The Gamecocks’ true freshman is now 8-2 over his previous 10 singles matches and leads the team with 21 singles wins on the season.

Beau Pelletier looked as if he’d clinch the team win as he held a 4-0 lead to begin his third set on court six.  On the opposite end of the Carolina Tennis Center, Cacciatore broke Andrei Duarte’s serve on a deuce point to even the third at 4-4.  Cacciatore would go on to finish off Duarte with a 6-4 third-set win, capturing his second-consecutive match clinching singles win to improve to 4-0 in dual matches.

Pelletier also improved to 4-0 in dual matches, finishing off Bailey Showers with a 6-4 third-set win.

Singles Results:
1. #4 Paul Jubb (SC) def. Grinvalds,Roberts (GSU) 6-4, 6-0
2. Hussey,Giles (GSU) def. #95 Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-1, 6-3
3. #76 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Subladze,Vazha (GSU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Coulaud,Quentin (GSU) def. Joseph Brailovsky (SC) 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-5
5. Patrick Cacciatore (SC) def. Duarte,Andrei (GSU) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
6. Beau Pelletier (SC) def. Showers,Bailey (GSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 1,3,2,5*,6,4 

UP NEXT
The Gamecocks will hit the road next week as they open their Southeastern Conference schedule on the road at No. 37 Arkansas on Fri., March 1, at 6 p.m. ET, before traveling to take on No. 34 Tulsa on Sun., March 3, at 1 p.m. ET.