Gamecocks Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Raleigh, N.C. – No. 16 South Carolina men’s tennis advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday thanks to a 4-1 victory over No. 54 Old Dominion. The Gamecocks claimed the doubles point and only allowed the Monarchs one singles point before clinching the match.
In doubles, South Carolina’s new No. 1 pair of Toby Samuel and James Story, ranked No. 43 in the country, tallied the first win of the day. The duo held serve with their opponents Connor van Schalkwyk and Jakob Cadonau through the first five games but the Gamecocks were able to find a break to lead 4-2 and continued to hold serve through the conclusion of the match, winning 6-3.
At the Nos. 2 and 3 positions, both matches had early breaks but opposing teams earned break backs to remain on serve. After having first serve on both courts, the Gamecocks led 5-4 at both positions with a race for the clinch.
It was South Carolina’s No. 3 pair of Sean Daryabeigi and Casey Hoole who got their match done first. The Gamecocks broke their opponents final serve to claim the set 6-4 and clinch the doubles point.
In singles play, No. 6 Samuel proceeded with business as usual, winning his match 6-2, 6-4 over Cosme Rolland de Ravel. Samuel is now 20-5 on the season and has won 16 of his last 17 matches, all from the top of the lineup.
The Monarchs were able to claim their lone point next with Aryan Saleh defeating Carter Morgan 6-0, 6-3 on Court 6.
Gamecock freshman Jelani Sarr was next to tally a point for his team. He defeated junior Codie can Schalkwyk 6-4, 6-3 and is now a perfect 3-0 in postseason singles matches.
The match clinch was delivered by sophomore Lucas Andrade da Silva on Court 6 where he battled from down a break in the second set for the victory. After claiming the first set 6-4, Sarr’s opponent Maxime Mareschal-Hay rallied in the second set to jump out to a 3-1 lead. Da Silva never backed down though, going on to tie things up at 4-4 and take his first lead of the set at 5-4. Mareschal-Hay still had fight left in him though and tied the set again at 5-5. Da Silva claimed his next service game to lead once again at 6-5 and willed his way to victory, claiming the break for 7-5.
The men’s tennis team now advances to the second round that will take place on Sat, May 4 at 5:00 p.m. They will take on the winner of NC State versus UNC-Wilmington at the J. W. Isenhour Tennis Complex in Raleigh.
Live streaming for the regional final match will be available here with live stats here. The match will also be aired on Cracked Racquets CrossCourt Cast.
For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
(16) South Carolina 4, (54) Old Dominion 1
Doubles (order of finish: 1, 3)
- #43 Toby Samuel/James Story (SC) def. Connor van Schalkwyk/Jakob Cadonau (ODU-M) 6-3
- Jelani Sarr/Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC) vs. Codie van Schalkwyk/CosmeRolland DeRavel (ODU-M) 5-4, unfinished
- Sean Daryabeigi/Casey Hoole (SC) def. Yanis Moundir/Maxime Mareschal-Hay (ODU-M) 6-4
Singles (order of finish: 1, 6, 4, 5)
- #6 Toby Samuel (SC) def. Cosme Rolland De Ravel (ODU-M) 6-2, 6-4
- #97 James Story (SC) vs. Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU-M) 7-6 (9-7), 3-5, unfinished
- Sean Daryabeigi (SC) vs. Yanis Moundir (ODU-M) 4-6, 6-1, 2-5, unfinished
- Jelani Sarr (SC) def. Codie van Schalkwyk (ODU-M) 6-4, 6-3
- Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC) def. Maxime Mareschal-Hay (ODU-M) 6-4, 7-5
- Aryan Saleh (ODU-M) def. Carter Morgan (SC) 6-0, 6-3
