LYNCHBURG, VA. – The Clemson men’s tennis team (7-1) earned a hard-fought 5-2 win over Liberty on Friday night, dropping doubles but then earning five of six singles wins.
“It was a very good win for us this evening,” said Head Coach Robbie Weiss. “We lost a tough doubles point but responded well and took six first sets. The boys competed well and played with passion. I am really happy with the win and excited to play VCU tomorrow after a quick turnaround.”
The Tigers dropped the first doubles match 6-3 on Court 3, but Jorge Plans Gonzalez and Max Smith would tie things up after with a gutsy 7-5 win on Court 2. Ryuhei Azuma and Spencer Whitaker battled on Court 1 for a victory but fell just short 7-6 to give the Flames a 1-0 lead going into singles.
Whitaker made quick work of his opponent on Court 4 as he tied things up at one a piece with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The wins continued to come in for the Tigers as Azuma, Plans Gonzalez, M. Pitts and Nini Dica all claimed victories on Courts 1, 2, 3 and 6, respectively. Dica and Plans Gonzalez earned gritty first set wins of their matches, defeating Zion Heaven in a 7-6, 9-7 tiebreaker and Thomas-Smith 7-6, 7-2 tiebreaker, respectively. In addition, Azuma weathered his own set tiebreaker to secure the victory 6-4, 7-5 (7-5).
The Tigers are back in action tomorrow afternoon, Feb. 11 as they play VCU at 2 p.m. at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Complex.
For complete coverage of the Clemson men’s tennis team follow @ClemsonMTennis on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
