Da Silva, Barbier Gazeu Earn Postseason Honors

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis standouts Lucas da Silva and Paul Barbier Gazeu have earned postseason recognition from the Southeastern Conference, as announced by the league office on Thursday. Da Silva was named First Team All-SEC for the second consecutive season, while Barbier Gazeu garnered Second Team All-SEC honors in addition to a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Da Silva put together a strong senior campaign, highlighted by two SEC Player of the Week selections and an 19-8 overall singles record. Competing primarily from the No. 1 position, he posted an 11-4 mark in dual matches, including a strong 7-4 record in conference play. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native had several noteworthy wins as he went 9-2 versus ranked opponents and defeated the nation’s No. 3 ranked player twice. Da Silva also strung together a nine-match singles win streak, eight of which came against ranked opponents, and climbed as high as No. 12 in the ITA singles rankings.

In doubles, da Silva and Barbier Gazeu proved to be one of the best pairs in the conference and nation. The duo compiled a 10-3 overall record in dual matches, including a 9-3 mark at the No. 1 position, and went 6-3 against ranked opponents. The pair also recorded an eight-match win streak, capturing four victories over ranked opponents, and reached a national ranking as high as No. 7.

Barbier Gazeu thrived during his debut season, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice while leading the team with 24 total singles victories. The Montpellier, France native posted a 13-5 record in dual match play, including a 5-2 mark at the No. 2 position and an 8-3 record at No. 4. During conference action, he held a five-match win streak that featured a ranked win over the nation’s No. 39 player.In doubles, the redshirt freshman matched his singles success with a 19-7 overall record, including a 10-3 dual match mark alongside da Silva.

Individually, Barbier Gazeu rose as high as No. 55 in the ITA singles rankings and was ranked the No. 8 newcomer in the nation during the preseason.  He also represented the Gamecocks on the national stage, qualifying for the NCAA Individual Championships in singles after a strong showing at the 2025 ITA East Sectionals, becoming the lone South Carolina player to do so this season.

The Gamecocks discover their postseason fate during the NCAA Selection show on Monday, April 27 at 4:00 p.m.