MTEN: No. 33 Clemson Sweeps Doubleheader, Remains Undefeated in ACC Play

CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 33 Clemson men’s tennis team (13-2, 2-0 ACC) continued its impressive start to conference play and the season with a hard-fought, 4-2 victory over No. 35 Notre Dame (10-4, 0-2 ACC), and a 4-1 win over Gardner-Webb (11-3) on Saturday, March 2 at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. This marks the program’s best start since 2010 when the team won their first 15 matches to start the season and the best start to ACC play since the 2014 season. 

No. 33 Clemson vs. No. 35 Notre Dame
In doubles, the No. 44-ranked duo of Max Smith and Noa Vukadin began with a dominant 6-1 win over Jameson Corsillo and Yu Zhang at the top court. Despite a close battle on courts two and three, Notre Dame claimed both matches to take the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead in the match.

Clemson responded in singles play with a strong performance. Notre Dame struck first in singles as No. 39 Sebastian Dominko defeated No. 47 Vukadin 6-1, 6-4 on court one, extending the Irish lead to 2-0. However, the Tigers quickly turned the momentum in their favor.

Sophomore Marko Mesarovic put Clemson on the board with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Kyran Magimay on court five, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Smith quickly followed up with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 win against Luis Llorens Saracho on court six, leveling the match at 2-2.

With the match tied, Viktor Markov came through in a clutch performance on court three, battling back for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Peter Nad to put the Tigers ahead 3-2. Wissam Abderrahman then delivered the match-clinching point, grinding out a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Zhang on court two to secure the 4-2 win for Clemson.

Clemson vs. Gardner-Webb

Clemson set the tone early by clinching the doubles point. The No. 44-ranked tandem of Vukadin and Smith dominated their match on court one, earning a commanding 6-1 victory over Boyd Schreiber and Eduardo Dias. On court three, the duo of Gales and Abderrahman secured the doubles point with a 7-5 win, giving Clemson the 1-0 advantage heading into singles play.

The Tigers carried their momentum into singles competition, quickly extending their lead. No. 90  Abderrahman delivered a dominating 6-1, 6-1 win over Kim Niethammer on court two to push Clemson ahead 2-0. Gales followed with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Alexandre Bergeron on court four, putting the Tigers within one point of clinching the match.

Gardner-Webb got on the board with a win at the top position, as Eduardo Dias defeated No. 47 Vukadin 6-4, 6-2. However, freshman Edoardo Cherie Ligniere sealed the match for the Tigers with a strong 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory over Boyd Schreiber, securing Clemson’s 4-1 win. This was Lignieres’ first time clinching a match in his collegiate career.

Next, the Tigers will travel to Boston College and Southern Methodist for their first conference road matches of the season, which will take place on Friday, March 7, at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 9, at noon, respectively.

RESULTS: No. 33 Clemson 4, No. 35 Notre Dame 2

Doubles:

1. No. 44 Smith/Vukadin (CU) def. Corsillo/Zhang (ND), 6-1
2. Becker/Dominko (ND) def. Damm/Markov (CU), 6-4
3. Nad/ Luis Llorens Saracho (ND) def. Gales/Abderrahman (CU), 7-6 (5)

Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3

Singles:

1. Sebastian Dominko (ND) def. No. 47 Noa Vukadin (CU), 6-1, 6-4
2. No. 90 Wissam Abderrahman (CU) def. Yu Zhang (ND), 7-5, 6-4
3. Viktor Markov (CU) def. Peter Nad (ND), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Romain Gales (CU) vs. Jameson Corsillo (ND), 6-2, 3-6, 3-2, uf
5. Marko Mesarovic (CU) def. Kyran Magimay (ND), 7-5, 6-2
6. Max Smith (CU) def. Luis Llorens Saracho (ND), 6-4, 6-2

Order of Finish: 1, 5, 6, 3, 2

RESULTS: No. 33 Clemson 4, Gardner-Webb 1

Doubles:

1. No. 44 Smith/Vukadin (CU) def. Schreiber/Dias (GW), 6-1
2. Damm/Mesarovic (CU) vs. Lemieux-Monette/Cressoni (GW), 5-5, uf
3. Gales/Abderrahman (CU) def. Lepine/Van Wijk (GW), 7-5

Order of Finish: 1, 3

Singles:

1. Eduardo Dias (GW) def. No. 47 Noa Vukadin (CU), 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 90 Wissam Abderrahman (CU) def. Kim Niethammer (GW), 6-1, 6-1
3. Marko Mesarovic (CU) vs. Numa Lemieux-Monette (GW), 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), uf
4. Romain Gales (CU) def. Alexandre Bergeron (GW), 6-0, 6-2
5. Max Smith (CU) vs. Alex Lepine (GW), 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 1-0, uf
6. Edoardo Cherie Ligniere (CU) def. Boyd Schreiber (GW), 7-6 (4), 6-1

Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 6