Tigers Battle, but Fall 4-3 to Virginia Tech Saturday

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson men’s tennis team lost a hard-fought battle, 4-3 to Virginia Tech on Saturday at the AU Tennis Complex. With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 8-6 (3-4 ACC), while the Hokies improved to 12-6, (3-5 ACC).

The Tigers claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3, in that order. Sam Edwards and Yizhou Liu defeated the Hokies No. 2 doubles duo 6-2. Carlos Kelaidis and Marshall Dagostine then clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (7-2) tiebreak.

The Hokies got out to a 3-1 lead after opening singles play with wins on courts 6, 5 and 1. Simon Baudry got a point back for the Tigers, picking up his 17th win this season, with a win at No. 2 with set scores of 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. After dropping the first 6-4 at No. 3, Edwards fought back against Riberiro to force the third set. Riberiro defeated Edwards 6-3 in the final set, clinching the team victory for the Hokies. Liu provided the final point for Clemson, defeating his Virginia Tech opponent, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, at No. 4 singles.

The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, April 4 for an away match against Furman at the Mickel Tennis Center in Greenville, S.C. First serve against the Paladins is set for 3 p.m.