Men’s Tennis Advances to Programs First SEC Title Match
Baton Rouge, La. – No. 24 South Carolina men’s tennis will play for the SEC Tournament title on Sunday after upsetting No. 6 Tennessee 4-2 in the semifinals on Saturday. The Gamecocks claimed the doubles point and went on to take three singles matches for the win.
Doubles Drama:
In doubles, the Gamecocks took the point in dramatic fashion. The first court to finish was Court 3 who pulled off the impossible, fighting from down 1-5 to win their match 7-5. Casey Hoole and Sean Daryabeigi completed the feat over James Newton and Filip Apltauer. The Gamecocks took a 6-5 lead on Court 1 and the Volunteers took a 6-5 lead on Court 2. At the No. 1 court, Toby Samuel and James Story took a 40-15 lead on break point but the nation’s No. 4 pair of Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz battled back to a deuce point. Samuel and Story were first to complete their point, winning at deuce for the 7-5 upset victory that clinched the doubles point.
Singles Thrills:
In singles play, the momentum shifted to Tennessee as they took first sets on four courts. The Volunteers secured wins on two courts, but the Gamecocks fought back. James Story claimed a singles point with his highest career ranked upset, defeating No. 33 Shunsuke Mitsui in a dramatic fashion. Sean Daryabeigi and Jelani Sarr also secured victories for South Carolina, with Sarr clinching the match with a three-set victory over Diaz.
Historic Win:
The win over No. 6 Tennessee is South Carolina’s second highest ranked win of the season and first top-10 win since the season opener. The Gamecocks’ trip to the title match is a program first, with the team being the lowest seed to ever make it to an SEC title match.
Upcoming Title Match:
The title match will take place on Sunday, April 21, beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Spectator information can be found on the tournament webpage. For those not in attendance, the match will be aired on the SEC Network and live stats can be found here.
