Gamecocks Sweep Opening Day Doubleheader

COLUMBIA, SC.— No. 16 South Carolina men’s tennis got off to a hot start and never looked back, sweeping its opening day doubleheader against The Citadel 7-0, 7-0.  The Gamecocks (2-0) started off hot in the first match and never looked back. The 2-0 start to the regular season for South Carolina came after a nearly two-month break from collegiate competition.

Match One Recap
The Gamecocks came out of the gates firing, sweeping doubles, winning 6-1, 6-3 and 6-2 across the three courts, respectively. The nation’s 39th-ranked team of Raphael Lambling and Daniel Rodrigues picked up its fourth win on the season as a pair, while the other two teams picked up their first wins as duos.
 
In singles, the Gamecocks continued their dominance, picking up all six points in straight-set matches. Sophomore Beau Pelletier grinded out a 6-2, 6-3 win in the No. 6 spot to complete the sweep.

Doubles (Order of Finish: 3,1*,2)

1. Paul Jubb / Connor Thomson (SC) def. Gavin Stewart/ Zvonko Bencedic (Cit)  6-1
2. (39) Raphael Lambling / Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Noah Nawabi/ Phillip Quinn (Cit)  6-3
3. Jake Beasley / Phillip Jordan (SC) def. Will Graham/ Leo Du Plooy (Cit)  6-2

 
Singles (Order of Finish: 2,5,1*,4,3,6)

1. (21) Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Gavin Stewart (Cit) 6-1, 6-1
2. (39) Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Will Graham (Cit) 6-0, 6-0
3. (106) Connor Thomson (SC) def. Noah Nwabi (Cit) 6-2, 6-2
4. Phillip Jordan (SC) def. Jack Pyritz (Cit) 6-1, 6-1
5. Thomas Brown (SC) def. Josiah Schainblatt (Cit) 6-0, 6-0
6. Beau Pelletier (SC) def. Phillip Quinn (Cit) 6-2, 6-3

Match Two Recap
Match two saw much of the continued dominance for Carolina. The Gamecocks once again swept doubles, winning 6-0, 6-1 and 6-1, respectively. The No. 56-ranked pair of Pelletier and junior Thomas Brown continued its strong play, winning its sixth match of the year.
 
In singles, the Gamecocks got strong performances once again from Lambling and Thomson, who sit at 14 and 15 wins on the year, respectively. South Carolina was able to dominate from the baseline and take control of the match from the start, never looking back

Doubles (Order of Finish: 3, 1*, 2)

1. Raphael Lambling / Connor Thomson (SC) def. Gavin Stewart/ Zvonko Bencedic (Cit) 6-0
2. Phillip Jordan / Jake Beasley (SC) def. Noah Nawabi/ Phillip Quinn (Cit) 6-1
3. (56) Thomas Brown / Beau Pelletier (SC) def. Will Graham/ Leo Du Plooy (Cit) 6-1

Singles (Order of Finish: 1,3,2*,4, 6, 5)

1. (39) Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Gavin Stewart (Cit. 6-0, 6-2
2. (106) Connor Thomson (SC) def. Will Graham (Cit) 6-3, 6-0
3. Phillip Jordan (SC) def. def. Noah Nwabi (Cit) 6-1, 6-0
4. Thomas Brown (SC) def Jack Pyritz (Cit) 6-0, 6-1
5. Beau Pelletier (SC) def. Zvonko Bencedic (Cit) 6-3, 7-6(3)
6. Jake Beasley (SC) def. Phillip Quinn (Cit) 6-2, 6-2

 
QUOTABLE HEAD COACH Josh Goffi:
“Guys looked sharp today; we really went out there and took care of our side of the net. Guys were sharp mentally, moving on to the next point, making sure they responded well from whatever situation they were coming out of, and they did a great job at that.”

Up Next for the Gamecocks
The Gamecocks will return to action Sunday for another doubleheader against Charlotte and USC Upstate starting at 11 a.m.
 
For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
 
 
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