Clemson Defeats South Carolina 5-2

March 23, 2011

COLUMBIA, SC – Zachary Rigsby defeated Harry Menzies at number-six singles in clinching the match and giving Clemson a 5-2 win over South Carolina in a men’s intercollegiate tennis match at Columbia, SC Wednesday afternoon.

With the win, Clemson improves to 13-4 overall, while South Carolina falls to 6-11 this season. The Tigers are ranked 58th nationally according to the latest ITA poll.

Clemson clinched the doubles point when Derek DiFazio and Robert Pietrucha defeated Alexander Kostanov and Chip Cox at number two doubles 9-7.

The Tigers claimed two singles matches and took a 3-0 lead in the match. Clemson’s Gerardo Meza won over Nick Jones 7-5, 7-5 at number-four singles. Next, Yannick Maden defeated the Gamecock’s Alexander Kostanov 6-4, 6-4 at number-two singles.

From this point the Gamecocks won the next two singles matches narrowing the Tigers’ lead to 3-2. South Carolina’s Ivan Machado defeated DiFazio at number-one singles 7-5, 7-6. At number-three singles, Cox won over the Tigers’ Kevin Galloway 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

Rigsby clinched the match for Clemson as he defeated Menzies 6-2, 6-4 at the number-six slot. Dominique Maden of Clemson defeated Johannes Pulsfort 7-5, 6-2 at the number-five position to make the final score 5-2 in the Tigers’ favor.

This was the 102nd meeting between Clemson and South Carolina on the tennis courts. The Gamecocks lead the overall series 60-40-2. The two schools began playing men’s tennis in 1925. This was the Tigers’ first victory over the Gamecocks since the 2007 season. Clemson has won five of the last nine meetings between the two schools.

“We were nervous starting out, but played into the matches well,” said Clemson Head Coach Chuck McCuen. “Gerardo Meza competed well today, and Dominique, Zachary, and Yannick continued their solid play. We battled in doubles but need to play the important points more aggressively. We look forward to fine tuning some areas tomorrow before playing Wake Forest on Friday.

“We appreciated all of the fan support today and it definitely helped the players and coaches today,” said McCuen.

The Tigers will return to ACC play this weekend as Clemson plays host to Wake Forest on Friday, March 25, and N.C. State on Sunday, March 27, in the Tigers’ next action.

Singles 1. Ivan Machado (SC) d. #106 Derek DiFazio (CU) 7-5, 7-6 2. Yannick Maden (CU) d. Alexander Kostanov (SC) 6-4, 6-4 3. Chip Cox (SC) d. Kevin Galloway (CU) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 4. Gerardo Meza (CU) d. Nick Jones (SC) 7-5, 7-5 5. Dominique Maden (CU) Johannes Pulsfort (SC) 7-5, 6-2 6. Zachary Rigsby (CU) d. Harry Menzies (SC) 6-2, 6-4 Order of Finish – 4, 2, 1, 3, 6, 5

Doubles 1. Machado/Jones (SC) d. Y. Maden/Rigsby (CU) 9-8 2. DiFazio/Robert Pietrucha (CU) d. Kostanov/Cox (USC) 9-7 3. Juan Bolona/D. Maden (CU) d. Menzies/Chris Sheehan (USC) 8-5 Order of Finish – 3, 1, 2