Ohio State
#5 South Carolina
Buckeyes Fall at No. 5 South Carolina 4-1
3/8/2023 3:41:08 PM | Men's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Playing outside for the first time this season, No. 4 Ohio State ran into a hot No. 5 South Carolina and fell 4-1 on Wednesday afternoon in Columbia.
The loss is just the second of the season for the Buckeyes who are now 15-2 on the year. South Carolina improved to 13-1 overall.
Cannon Kingsley claimed the lone win for the Buckeyes are he took down No. 5 Connor Thomson in straight sets.
Doubles
- Robert Cash and Justin Boulais picked up the only Buckeye doubles win. The duo raced out to a 4-0 lead and would roll to a 6-2 victory.
- Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy got down 4-0 and would end up losing by the same score as court two, 6-2.
- That left the deciding match on court one. It was a Top 10 showdown between the No. 7 ranked team of Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter vs. the No. 1 ranked team of Connor Thomson and Toby Samuel. The Gamecocks got an early break at 2-0 and would hold that lead throughout in a 6-4 victory. But it wasn’t easy as they had to win a pair of huge deuce points at 4-2 and 5-3.
Singles
- South Carolina continued the momentum into singles and took the first two matches quickly. Jake Beasley beat Cash 6-2, 6-2 on court six and Samuel took down Boulais 6-4, 6-3 on court one.
- Kingsley, who was slowed a bit last month by an ankle injury, looks to be getting back to form. He beat No. 5 ranked Connor Thomson 6-3, 6-4 on court two to get the Buckeyes on the board. He is now 8-3 on the season and this was his second Top 30 win in the last three singles matches.
- South Carolina got the clinching point on court four as James Story beat Alexander Bernard 7-5, 6-3.
- In the other two matches, JJ Tracy won his opening set in a tiebreaker and James Trotter clawed back to win the second and was on serve in the third set on court five.
Up Next
- Ohio State will remain on the road during spring break next week as the Buckeyes head to Orlando, Fla., to take on UCF on March 15 at the USTA National Campus. That will serve as the host site for the NCAA Championship in May.
#5 South Carolina 4, #4 Ohio State 1
Singles
1. #6 Toby Samuel (SC) def. #58 Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. #39 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. #5 Connor Thomson (SC) 6-3, 6-4
3. #84 Raphael Lambling (SC) vs. #20 JJ Tracy (OSU) 6-7, unfinished
4. James Story (SC) def. #52 Alexander Bernard (OSU) 7-5, 6-3
5. #83 Casey Hoole (SC) vs. #26 James Trotter (OSU) 6-3, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
6. Jake Beasley (SC) def. #116 Robert Cash (OSU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. #1 Connor Thomson/Toby Samuel (SC) def. #7 Andrew Lutschaunig/James Trotter (OSU) 6-4
2. Robert Cash/Justin Boulais (OSU) def. #22 James Story/Jake Beasley (SC) 6-2
3. Raphael Lambling/Casey Hoole (SC) def. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Ohio State 15-2; National ranking #4
South Carolina 13-1; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,1,2,4)
T-2:12
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