Wingate, N.C.----The number 30 USC Aiken men’s tennis team rallied from a 3-0 doubles deficit to take a 5-4 Southeast Region victory over number 42 Wingate University Wednesday at the WU Tennis Complex. Pacer senior
Bruno Orlandini (Araraquara, Brazil) earned the clinching singles victory for USC Aiken (11-6 overall). Bulldog freshman
Sebastian Hall (Lörrach, Germany) won twice for Wingate (14-9 overall).
Wingate started the day by going three-for-three in the doubles matches. The Bulldogs claimed wins by scores of 9-7, 8-6 and 8-6. In the number one doubles match, sophomore
Neal Towlson (Warwick, Bermuda) and freshman
Roberto Hennis (Raleigh, N.C.) defeated USCA junior
Patrick Stiebinger (Weiden, Germany) and freshman
Max Wichelhaus (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) 9-7.
Pacer junior
Kevin Zerath (Marseilles, France) started the rally for the visitors, collecting a 6-2, 6-3 number one singles victory over Bulldog freshman
Kennedy Cancelado (Miami Springs, Fla.). Hall gave Wingate a 4-1 lead with a 7-6, 6-2 triumph over Stiebinger at the number three singles position. USC Aiken won the last four matches (including two three-setters) to take the victory.
USCA sophomore
Andy Quirk (Glasgow, Scotland) defeated Hennis 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the number four singles match. Classmate
Ettore Damiani (Genoa, Italy) outlasted Towlson 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 at the number two singles flight to make the score 4-3 Wingate.
The Peach Belt Conference members won the number five and the number six singles matches in straight sets. Pacer junior
Lucas Gobbi (Santa Bárbara d’Oeste, Brazil) defeated Wingate freshman
Luis Osio (Miami, Fla.) 6-4, 6-2 in the number five match, while Orlandini topped Wingate junior
Ryan Forbes (Charlotte, N.C.) 6-2, 6-3 at the number six flight.
The USC Aiken match concludes the regular season for the Bulldogs. Wingate will participate in the 2013 Food Lion SAC men’s tennis tournament next Thursday through Saturday (April 18-20) at the Rock Hill Tennis Center. The Bulldogs are the defending Food Lion SAC tournament champions.
