Alabama
South Carolina
No. 24 Alabama Falls in 4-3 Heartbreaker to No. 16 South Carolina
3/15/2024 9:16:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The match saw six tiebreakers in singles play including two on court five for the match point
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –– In a match that saw six tiebreakers in singles action, the No. 24 Alabama men's tennis team (11-8, 1-3 SEC) fell 4-3 to No. 16 South Carolina (8-7, 2-2 SEC) at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility.
Five of the six singles matches would feature a tiebreaker, including two tiebreakers for the match point on court five.
South Carolina secured an early lead, winning courts three and one, respectively, in doubles. As the match went into singles play, Alabama captured wins from Andrii Zimnokh, Matias Ponce De Leon and Enzo Aguiard as the Gamecocks won courts six and one for a 3-3 match score. The final point would come down to a three-set battle on court five that featured tiebreakers on sets one and three.
Match Notes
- South Carolina opened with a win on doubles court three, but Alabama's Enzo Aguiard and Zach Foster evened the attempt for the opening point with a victory on court two
- The duo downed James Story and Lucas Da Silva 6-4 to keep the Tide in contention for the doubles point
- The Gamecocks, however, would go on to clinch the first point with a victory on court one
- In singles play, Andrii Zimnokh secured the first win with mirroring 6-2, 6-2 set scores over James Story on court three
- South Carolina would move ahead with a win on court six
- UA responded with back-to-back wins on courts four and two, respectively, to take the lead at 3-2
- After winning the opening set, 6-3, Matias Ponce De Leon battled through a second-set tiebreaker to take the match against Jelani Starr with a 7-6(4) second-set score
- No. 69-ranked Aguiard downed Casey Hoole on court two, taking the first set off a 7-3 tiebreaker before defeating the No-96-ranked singles player, 6-3, in the second round
- The Gamecocks would tie the overall team score at 3-3 with a win on court one to force the deciding point on court five
- After dropping the opening set off a 7-2 tiebreak decision, Roan Jones battled to take set two at 6-4 against Sean Daryabeigi
- The two student-athletes would fight their way into a second tiebreaker with South Carolina taking the win at 7-2
Next
- Alabama will host a doubleheader Sunday against No. 25 Florida and Alabama A&M
- The match against the Gators is slated for 1 p.m. CT, while the Tide will face the Bulldogs at 5 p.m.
Results
Doubles
- #10 Toby Samuel/Casey Hoole (USC) def. #74 Filip Planinsek/Andrii Zimnokh (UA) 6-4
- Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) def. James Story/Lucas da Silva (USC) USC) 6-3
- Sean Daryabeigi/Jelani Sarr (USC) def. Roan Jones/Matic Dimic (UA) 6-2
Order of Finish (3,2,1)
Singles
- #49 Toby Samuel (USC) def. #46 Filip Planinsek (UA) 7-6(5), 6-2
- #69 Enzo Aguiard (UA) def. #96 Casey Hoole (USC) 7-6(3), 6-3
- Andrii Zimnokh (UA) def. James Story (USC) 6-2, 6-2
- Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) def. Jelani Sarr (USC) 6-3, 7-6(4)
- Sean Daryabeigi (USC) def. Roan Jones (UA) 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(2)
- Lucas Da Silva (USC) def. Matic Dimic (UA) 7-6 (3), 6-2
Order of Finish (3,6,4,2,1,5)
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– UA –
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,6,4,2,1,5
Players Mentioned
