Tigers Edged by Elon Tuesday

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson men’s tennis team fell to Elon 5-2 on Tuesday evening at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. It was the first loss of the season for the Tigers, who dropped to 4-1. The Phoenix improved to 3-1, with their only loss being a 4-3 decision to a top-30 Duke team earlier this season.

Elon won the doubles point, opening with a win on Court 2. At No. 3, the Tigers’ duo of Mike Agee and Pierre-Louis Dodens earned a 7-5 win to force No. 1 doubles to decide the point. The Phoenix’s top doubles duo edged Simon Baudry and Yizhou Liu in a close tiebreaker, 7-6(5).

The Phoenix won at No. 3 singles to take a 2-0 lead, before Teodor Giusca cut the score in half with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 2. Elon got the point back winning on Court 4, before Dodens made it 3-2, winning 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5 singles. The Phoenix went on to win at No. 6 and No. 1 to provide the final margin.

HEAD COACH JOHN BOETSCH QUOTE
“Credit goes to Elon tonight. They competed extremely well and capitalized when they had opportunities. In doubles, we were up a break on all three courts, but couldn’t keep momentum on our side. That is something we are working through and will get better with. Pierre and Teo were very solid in singles and took care of business. As a team we will keep improving our body language and discipline. We look forward to having a good week of practice and bouncing back as we hit the road in February.”

Photos by Melina Alberti:

OF NOTE

• With the win at No. 3 doubles, freshman Mike Agee and junior Pierre-Louis Dodens are now 5-0 on the season in doubles play.
• Freshman Teodor Giusca remained undefeated in singles play with his win at No. 2, improving to 5-0 on the season.
• Junior and Arizona State transfer Pierre-Louis Dodens is also undefeated in singles play for the Tigers, improving to 4-0 after his win over Elon on Tuesday.
• The Tigers dropped the doubles point against the Phoenix, and for the first time this season. The team is now 4-0 when winning the doubles point, and 0-1 when losing the doubles point.

UP NEXT
Clemson hits the road next week to face three opponents, Princeton, Binghamton and Army. The Tigers meet Princeton on Friday, Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. in Princeton, N.J. On Sunday, Feb. 10, they face Binghamton at 10 a.m. and Army at 4 p.m. in a doubleheader at Army’s Lichtenberg Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y.