Gamecocks Upset No. 18 Oklahoma in First SEC Matchup

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 25 South Carolina men’s tennis team faced No. 18 Oklahoma in conference play for the first time in program history and delivered a commanding 6-1 victory. The win improved the Gamecocks’ SEC record to 6-1 and their overall standing to 12-4.

The Gamecocks came out strong in doubles, with all three courts establishing early leads before Oklahoma mounted a comeback, leveling each match at 5-all. Casey Hoole and Sean Daryabeigi struck first at the No. 3 position, winning the final two consecutive games for a 7-5 victory. Oklahoma responded at the No. 2 spot, matching the scoreline to even the doubles battle.

The decisive match came down to Jelani Sarr and Atakan Karahan who were playing at the top of the lineup for the first time this season, facing No. 39 Oscar Lacides and Bruno Nhavene. The pairs exchanged games back and forth until the match reached a tiebreaker at 6-all. Lacides and Nhavene jumped to a 2-0 lead before the Gamecocks quickly countered to level it at 2-all. From there, the battle intensified with neither side conceding ground. Locked at 8-all, Sarr and Karahan used a final surge to claim the next two points for a thrilling 10-8 tiebreak victory and clinch the doubles point. The victory marked their first ranked win this season.

The Gamecocks got off to a promising start in singles, carrying their momentum to claim first set wins across four courts. Hoole picked up the first win for the Garnet & Black, extending the lead to 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 76 Oscar Lacides from the top of the lineup. Sarr followed up from the bottom of the lineup, defeating his opponent in straight sets of 6-4, 7-5 to put South Carolina on the brink of clinching. The Sooners fought to stay in the match as Luis Alvarez topped Karahan 6-4, 6-4 to get Oklahoma on the board.

The tension increased as every other match was pushed to a deciding set. For the second time in less than two weeks it was Gabe Avram who clinched the match for the Gamecocks. The freshman dropped his first set 3-6 but stormed back to win his second 6-2 and force a third. In the decider he repeated the same score of 6-2 to deliver the clinch at 4-1 for South Carolina and pick up his ninth singles win of the season.

With the result decided, the teams played out the remaining matches. Daryabeigi notched the next singles win followed by da Silva who finalized South Carolina’s 6-1 victory.

The Gamecocks hit the road for their next four matches beginning with a trip to LSU on Fri., March 21 for a 5:00 p.m. first serve.

For the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).

(25) South Carolina 6, (18) Oklahoma 1

Doubles (order of finish:3,2,1)

1. Jelani Sarr/Atakan Karahan (SC) def. #39 Oscar Lacides/Bruno Nhavene (OU) 7-6 (10-8)
2. Kholo Montsi/Luis Alvarez (OU) def. Lucas da Silva/Max Stenzer (SC) 7-5
3. Casey Hoole/Sean Daryabeigi (SC) def. Alejandro Melero/Asahi Harazaki (OU) 7-5

Singles (order of finish: 1,6,4,5,3,2)

1. Casey Hoole (SC) def. #76 Oscar Lacides (OU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Lucas da Silva (SC) def. Kholo Montsi (OU) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
3. #79 Sean Daryabeigi (SC) def. Orel Kimhi (OU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
4. Luis Alvarez (OU) def. Atakan Karahan (SC) 6-4, 6-4
5. Gabe Avram (SC) def. Jordan Hasson (OU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. #113 Jelani Sarr (SC) def. Bruno Nhavene (OU) 6-4, 7-5