Liberty University
Clemson Hidden Duals
Liberty Goes 8-3 Against Indiana on Day 1 of Clemson Hidden Duals
10/8/2021 10:37:05 PM | Men's Tennis
The Liberty Flames men’s tennis team had a strong opening day at the Clemson Hidden Duals by winning eight of 11 contested matches against the Indiana Hoosiers.
Liberty and Indiana, who have never met in a spring dual match before, played a hidden dual format to simulate the structure of a spring dual match, Friday at Clemson’s Duckworth Family Tennis Facility.
The Flames’ 8-3 record versus the Hoosiers featured a 3-1 doubles mark and 5-2 singles record. Liberty players to win in both doubles and singles included Rafael Marques Da Silva, Christiaan Worst and Thando Longwe-Smit. The Flames were also 0-1 versus the Clemson Tigers on Friday for a total record of 8-4.
Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty’s 3-1 doubles record included triumphs from: 2021 ASUN Doubles Pair of the Year Christiaan Worst/Deji Thomas-Smith, Rafael Marques Da Silva/Zion Heaven and Thando Longwe-Smit/Omar El Kadi.
• Worst and Thomas-Smith defeated the Hoosiers’ Michael Andre and Ilya Tiraspolsky in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (4), for their first win of the fall. Marques Da Silva and Heaven also won in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (5) versus Indiana’s Patrick Fletchall and Jagger Saylor.
• Longwe-Smit and El Kadi triumphed over Vikash Singh and Nishanth Basavareddy of the Hoosiers 6-1.
• In singles, Marques Da Silva took down Carson Haskins in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). Worst, making his fall debut, bested the Hoosier’s Andre in consecutive sets, 6-3, 6-1.
• Longwe-Smit, the third Flame to go 2-0 today in addition to Marques Da Silva and Worst, knocked off Luka Vukovic 7-6 (4), 6-4.
• The other two Liberty players to win in singles were junior Josh Wilson and sophomore Goncalo Ferreira. Wilson defeated Fletchall in straight sets (6-3, 6-3), and Ferreira also won in two sets (6-1, 6-3) versus Basavareddy.
• Wilson (6-3) and Ferreira (6-1) share the team lead with six singles victories each, this fall.
Up Next
Day two of the Clemson Hidden Duals will see Liberty match up against a combination of Mississippi State and Indiana players, Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.
Saturday (10 a.m.): Liberty vs. Mississippi State/Indiana
Sunday (Noon): Liberty vs. Clemson
