Liberty University
Clemson
No. 43 Liberty Drops Road Contest at Clemson, Tuesday
4/13/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
No. 43 Liberty dropped its regular season finale at Clemson by a 6-1 score, Tuesday at The Duckworth Family Tennis Center.
The Flames see their four-match winning streak ended and fall to 17-7 on the year. Clemson improves to 8-13 and snaps a four-match losing streak after its first ranked win of the season.
Thoughts From Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"It was a humbling experience for us today, including me. It's time to respond and make the most of practice. Champions respond!"
Singles Competition
1. Yizhou Liu (MCU21) def. #82 Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-4
2. #103 Carlos Kelaidis (MCU21) def. R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-4
3. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def. Ryuhei Azuma (MCU21) 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-4)
4. Teodor Giusca (MCU21) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-2
5. Jorge Plans Gonzalez (MCU21) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 6-2
6. Spencer Whitaker (MCU21) def. Goncalo Ferreira (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. #22 Teodor Giusca/Yizhou Liu (MCU21) def. Deji Thomas-Smith/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 6-3
2. Ryuhei Azuma/Spencer Whitaker (MCU21) def. Nicaise Muamba/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Josh Wilson/Steve Mundt (LIBERTYM) def. Carlos Kelaidis/Jorge Plans Gonzalez (MCU21) 6-2
Liberty 17-7; National ranking #43
Clemson 8-13
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,4,5,2,3,1)
T-2:50
How It Happened
• Liberty dropped the doubles point for the first time since March 31 and picked up only one singles win in the No. 3 slot from Josh Wilson.
• The doubles session came down to a tiebreaker in the No. 2 doubles match between Liberty's Nicaise Muamba and Rafael Marques Da Silva and Clemson's Ryuhei Azuma and Spencer Whitaker to decide a winner.
• Muamba and Marques trailed 5-1 in the match and battled all the way back to lead 6-5, winning deuce points down 5-4 and tied 5-5. However, the Clemson duo evened the match at 6-all and prevailed 7-3 in the tiebreaker for a 7-6 (3) decision and the first point of the match.
• The teams split the other two doubles contests. On court three, the Flames' Steve Mundt and Josh Wilson ran their record to 5-0 by besting Carlos Keladis and Jorge Plans Gonzalez 6-2. Clemson's nationally-ranked doubles pairing, No. 22 Yizhou Liu and Teodor Giusca, defeated the Flames' top unit of Christiaan Worst and Deji Thomas-Smith by a 6-3 score.
• Clemson carried over the momentum from the doubles session with first-set wins from all six courts. The Tigers closed out five of those six matches in straight sets, with their only setback on court three. Liberty's Wilson lost his first set to Ryuhei Azuma 6-1 and trailed 4-2 in the second before coming back to win the second set 7-5. Wilson won the third set 10-point tiebreaker 10-4 to claim the match, 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-4).
• The Tigers' No. 6, No. 4 and No. 5 singles players, in that order, provided the hosts a 4-0 edge with their victories. The No. 6 singles match went to Whitaker (Clemson), 6-1, 6-4 over Goncalo Ferreira (Liberty). Giusca of the Tigers knocked off Thomas-Smith of the Flames in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) at No. 4 singles, while Plans Gonzalez (Clemson) bested Thando Longwe-Smit (Liberty) 7-5, 6-2.
• Liberty's Marques Da Silva (No. 2 singles), who picked up his first ranked win on Sunday versus Charlotte, fell to No. 103 Keladis today, 6-4, 6-4.
• After Wilson cut the Clemson advantage to 5-1, the Tigers' Liu battled past No. 82 Muamba 6-4, 6-4 on court one.
• Liberty falls to 6-6 on the road. The Flames played three matches in the last four days, also picking up wins versus Bellarmine and Charlotte at home.
• Clemson improved to 3-0 all-time against Liberty. Today's match was the first meeting of the two teams in 17 years.
• The Flames now hold a 6-2 record as a nationally-ranked team.
Next Up
• The Flames will begin preparing for the 2021 ASUN Men's Tennis Championship, which begins this Saturday. Liberty will host Bellarmine (3-19, 0-6 ASUN) in a quarterfinal match, Saturday. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
• Liberty defeated Bellarmine twice in the regular season, both by 7-0 scores. The Flames are 3-0 all-time versus the Knights.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,4,5,2,3,1