South Carolina Defeats Clemson 4-3

March 14, 2012

CLEMSON, SC – Ivan Machado defeated Clemson’s Gerardo Meza 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 at number-two singles in clinching the match and leading #48 South Carolina to a 4-3 victory over the Tigers in a men’s intercollegiate tennis match at Clemson, SC Wednesday evening.

With the win, South Carolina improves to 11-5 overall, while Clemson falls to 5-7 this season. The Gamecocks are ranked 48th nationally, while the Tigers are ranked 71st according to the latest ITA poll.

Clemson won the doubles point to start the match. At number-one doubles, #53 Yannick Maden and Zachary Rigsby defeated #64 Chip Cox and Nick Jones 8-3.

South Carolina came storming back winning three straight singles matches to take a 3-1 advantage in the team score. At number-six singles, Carl Esquez defeated Rigsby 6-2, 6-2. At number-three singles, Andrew Adams defeated Ayrton Wibowo of Clemson 6-4, 6-0. Thiago Pinheiro of South Carolina defeated Hunter Harrington 6-4, 7-6 at number-five singles giving the Gamecocks the lead.

The Tigers tied the match score 3-3 when the Maden brothers won both their respective matches. Dominique Maden defeated the Gamecocks’ Chip Cox 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 at number-four singles. Yannick Maden won over Nick Jones in a three-set match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at the number-one singles match. This was Yannick Maden’s 20th win of the season in singles play.

Machado won over Meza in a three-set, two-tie breaker contest to clinch the match for South Carolina. Machado is ranked 104th in singles according to the latest ITA poll.

“This was a hard-fought, competitive college tennis match,” said Clemson Head Coach Chuck McCuen. “I want to congratulate South Carolina and give them credit for their win. This was a tough loss. What I like about our team is that we are resilient and we will have to get ready for our match against Florida State on Saturday.

“Yannick and Dominique Maden continue to play hard and be our foundation at number-one and number-four singles-they are our anchors. I was impressed with Yannick’s play today. He played against a very powerful opponent, but he continues to find a way to win. Both Yannick and Dominique do the right things on and off the tennis courts.

“I also want to thank our fans today on how many were here and how long they stayed. It was a great atmosphere for this five-hour match,” said McCuen.

South Carolina 4, Clemson 3

Singles 1. #49 Yannick Maden (CU) d. Nick Jones (SC) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 2. #104 Ivan Machado (SC) d. Gerardo Meza (CU) 5-7, 7-6 (7-0), 7-6 (7-2) 3. Andrew Adams (SC) d. Ayrton Wibowo (CU) 6-4, 6-0 4. Dominique Maden (CU) d. Chip Cox (SC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 5. #117 Thiago Pinheiro (SC) d. Hunter Harrington (CU) 6-4, 7-6 6. Carl Equez (SC) d. Zachary Rigsby (CU) 6-2, 6-2 Order of Finish: 6, 3, 5, 4, 1, 2

Doubles 1. #53 Yannick Maden/Zachary Rigsby (CU) d. #64 Chip Cox/Nick Jones 8-3 2. Ayrton Wibowo/Cedric Willems (CU) d. Ivan Machado/Thiago Pinheiro (SC) 8-3 3. Carl Equez/Kyle Koch (SC) d. Dominique Maden/Wes Moran (CU) 8-2 Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Flight 1 Doubles:

Flight 2 Doubles:

Singles: