da Silva Joins Daryabeigi in Singles Main Draw
TULSA, OKLA. – South Carolina men’s tennis senior Lucas Andrade da Silva posted a pair of clutch three-set victories to advance to the singles main draw at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. He and Sean Daryabeigi narrowly miss advancing in doubles as well.
In singles action, No. 64 da Silva won the crucial points in Monday’s opening round of qualifying to post a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) win over Petro Kuzmenok of Rice. In Tuesday’s effort to advance, da Silva faced his first ranked opponent of the season in No. 110 Kholowam Montsi. The two split the first two sets and battled point for point throughout the third. In the deciding tiebreaker, da Silva powered through the finish of the 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) victory to advance to the tournament’s main draw for the first time in his career.
In doubles, the Gamecocks’ top duo opened qualifying Monday against the No. 37 duo in the country, Kentucky’s Eli Stephenson and Jack Loutit. Daryabeigi and da Silva got a late break to win the first set 7-5 and were steady in the second with a 6-4 win that extended their tournament. On Tuesday, the pair dropped a 7-6 (4), 7-5 decision to Alabama’s Vit Kalina and Matic Kriznik.
Both Gamecocks will be back on the court in Wednesday’s singles main draw matches. No. 64 da Silva will face the tournament’s fifth seed, No. 7 Ozan Baris, and No. 56 Daryabeigi will take on No. 22 Trevor Svajda of SMU. Both matches are set to begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be part of the Cracked Racquets live stream.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockMTennis) for the most up-to-date information on the men’s tennis program.
Qualifying Rounds
Singles
R1 – (64) Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC) def. Petro Kuzmenok (RICE) 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5)
R2 – (64) da Silva (SC) def. (110) Kholowam Montsi (TAM) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4)
Doubles
R1 – Sean Daryabeigi/Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC) def. (37) Eli Stephenson/Jack Loutit (KY) 7-5, 6-4
R2 – Vit Kalina/Matic Kriznik (AL) def. Daryabeigi/daSilva (SC) 7-6 (4), 7-5
