Gamecocks Come Up Short in SEC Championship
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 13 and third-seeded South Carolina men’s tennis team fell 4-1 to top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Texas in the SEC Championship final on Sunday afternoon, earning the runner-up title for the second time in program history.
Doubles play started off closely contested, with just one game separating the teams on all three courts early on. Texas began to pull away at the top two spots, as Atakan Karahan and Jelani Sarr trailed 2-5, and Connor Thomson and Lucas da Silva were down 2-4. At the No. 3 position, Max Stenzer and Sean Daryabeigi built a 5-3 lead, but Karahan and Sarr ultimately fell 6-2, giving Texas the upper hand.
Stenzer and Daryabeigi leveled the match with a 6-4 win, but the Longhorns clinched the doubles point moments later, as No. 9-ranked Timo Legout and Lucas Brown defeated Thomson and da Silva 6-3.
South Carolina looked to mount a comeback in singles play, with first-set wins from Sarr (6-1), Gabe Avram (6-1), and Daryabeigi (6-4). However, the Gamecocks dropped opening sets on the other three courts; Thomson (1-6), da Silva (2-6), and Karahan (2-6).
Texas extended its lead to 2-0 when No. 9 Legout defeated No. 20 Thomson 6-1, 6-2 at the top of the lineup. The Gamecocks responded with a dominant performance from Avram on Court 6, as he defeated Evan Burnett 6-1, 6-3 to put South Carolina on the board.
The Longhorns moved to within one point of clinching after No. 22 Sebastian Gorzny earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over da Silva on Court 2. Karahan fought to keep South Carolina alive, pulling even at 4-4 in the second set, while Daryabeigi and Sarr advanced to third sets. However, Karahan’s comeback came up short, as he fell 6-2, 6-4 to No. 72 Jonah Braswell, who sealed the championship title for Texas from Court 4.
Following the match, Thomson and Daryabeigi earned SEC All-Tournament honors for their performances throughout the championship.
The Gamecocks will find out their post season plans at the NCAA Selection show on April 28th.
For the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
Doubles (order of finish: 2,31)
- #9 Timo Legout/Lucas Brown (TEX) def. #3 Connor Thomson/Lucas da Silva (SC) 6-3
- Sebastian Gorzny/Jonah Braswell (TEX) def. #50 Atakan Karahan/Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-2
- Max Stenzer/Sean Daryabeigi (SC) def. #78 Pierre-Yves Bailly/Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) 6-4
Singles (order of finish: 1,6,2,4)
- #2 Timo Legout (TEX) def. #20 Connor Thomson (SC) 6-1, 6-2
- #22 Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) def. Lucas da Silva (SC) 6-2, 6-3
- #46 Pierre-Yves Bailly (TEX) led #119 Sean Daryabiegi (SC) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 unfinished
- #72 Jonah Braswell (TEX) def. Atakan Karahan (SC) 6-2, 6-4
- Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) led Jelani Sarr (SC) 1-6, 6-3, 3-1 unfinished
- Gabe Avram (SC) def. Evan Burnett (TEX) 6-1, 6-3
