Men’s Tennis Opens Spring at Georgia Tech MLK Invite
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 20 South Carolina men’s tennis kicks off its Spring 2021 schedule at the Georgia Tech MLK Invitational Tournament this weekend, joining No. 10 Georgia, Georgia Southern and host Georgia Tech for the event at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta. The three-day, round-robin tournament begins on Saturday with all matches streaming video and live stats via Georgia Tech’s website, RamblingWreck.com
As in their three fall tournaments, the Gamecocks will face a different team in the field each day with individual singles and doubles champions named at the end of the event. South Carolina opens against the host Yellow Jackets on Saturday at 2 p.m. Sunday’s 9 a.m. start will be against SEC-rival Georgia, and Monday’s 9 a.m. first serve will be against Georgia Southern.
Gamecock Notables
• In his 11th season leading the Gamecocks, head coach Josh Goffi returns seven letterwinners from last season’s team that finished the season ranked 18th in the nation.
• Goffi’s teams have started each of the last three spring campaigns ranked in the top 25, including this season’s No. 20 preseason ranking.
• Three Gamecocks earned single rankings after their solid fall efforts – No. 32 Daniel Rodrigues (6-2), No. 81 Raphael Lambling (2-6) and No. 118 Connor Thomson (5-4).
• South Carolina dominated the top two doubles spots this fall, leading both teams to draw preseason rankings – No. 44 Rodrigues/Thomson, No. 59 Phillip Jordan/Lambling.
• Three other Gamecocks turned in five singles wins this fall with Jake Beasley logging a 5-1 record and Thomas Brown and first-year freshman Toby Samuel each posting 5-3 marks.
Tournament Field Notables
• Georgia Tech was 7-5 and 1-2 in the ACC when COVID-19 ended the 2019-20 season and did not compete this fall. Returning freshman Andres Martin went 14-7 last season and starts Spring 2021 with a No. 59 ranking in singles. He teams with Keshav Chopra to form the No. 41 doubles team in the nation. The Yellow Jackets’ doubles team of Marcus McDaniel and Pablo Schelcher are ranked No. 31 to open the spring.
• No. 10 Georgia brings three ranked singles entry to this weekend’s tournament – No. 9 Trent Bryde (4-1), No. 19 Philip Henning (4-3) and No. 73 Tyler Zink (1-2). A pair of Bulldog doubles teams are also ranked – No. 8 Bryde/Zink (3-1), No. 20 Blake Croyder/Henning (2-4).
• In the fall, Georgia traveled to both the round-robin tournaments the Gamecocks hosted. In the Gamecock Fall SEC Scramble (Oct. 4), South Carolina claimed five of the eight singles matches and the teams split the four doubles outings. Rain interrupted the second meeting at the Gamecock Fall SEC Shootout with just one singles match complete, a dominant victory for Thomson.
• Georgia Southern did not compete this fall and finished the shortened 2019-20 season 9-9. In his debut season, now sophomore Alexandros Roumpis led the Golden Eagles with a 19-9 singles mark, including a 9-3 mark in the No. 4 spot in the lineup. Current senior Pascal Wagemaker was just behind with an 18-8 slate, buoyed by a 12-1 record in the No. 3 spot.
For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
