CONWAY, S.C. – The Presbyterian College men's tennis team completed a furious comeback bid on Saturday afternoon to topple the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on the road in a crucial Big South Conference match, 4-3.
PC improves to 23-5 on the year and 6-1 in the Big South Conference while Coastal Carolina falls to 10-7 overall and 2-2 in League play. The Blue Hose next return home to host Charlotte on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
The Chanticleers led 3-1 after winning the doubles point and taking singles matches at Nos. 2 and 3. The Blue Hose responded, however, by rattling off three straight victories to take the dual match.
Tied 3-3, the day's result came down to court No. 5 as freshman Diego Manzanas (Madrid, Spain) battled Hunter Whalen. The Blue Hose rookie won the first set, 7-5, before the Chanticleer took the second, 6-7. With all eyes on Manzanas, the freshman pulled through with a thrilling 7-6 third set victory to hand PC the win.
Senior Grayson Mills (Lilburn, Ga.) tied up the dual match at No. 1 against nationally-ranked No. 87 Philipp Tsangaridis. The hard-charging Mills ceded the first set before roaring back to bump off the Chanticleer, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. The victory marked Mills' 20th of the season.
Senior Gonzalo Asis (Madrid, Spain) began the comeback at No. 6 against Jabor Al-Mutawa. The Chanticleer edged Asis in a second set that fell between decisive results for the win, 6-0, 5-7, 6-0.
PC's first win came at No. 4 with sophomore Danny Bruce (Marietta, Ga.) cruising past Leo Christofides, 6-2, 6-4.
Coastal's two singles victories saw Garik Yedigarian top Joel Roberts (Summerville, S.C.) at the second flight, 6-3, 6-4, and Ted Nilsson win at No. 3 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ben Kelley (Weaverville, N.C.).
The Chanticleers took the doubles point despite a third-flight victory from Mills and Manzanas over Nilsson and Whalen, 8-6. Yedigarian and Renan Samed edged Ryan Miller (Norcross, Ga.) and Kelley at the second flight, 8-6, while Tsangaridis and Christofides won over Rafael Berghaus (Offenbach, Germany) and Roberts, 8-4.
Singles competition
1. MILLS, Grayson (PCM) def. #87 TSANGARIDIS, Philipp (COASTAL) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. YEDIGARIAN, Garik (COASTAL) def. ROBERTS, Joel (PCM) 6-3, 6-4
3. NILSSON, Ted (COASTAL) def. KELLEY, Ben (PCM) 6-3, 6-2
4. BRUCE, Danny (PCM) def. CHRISTOFIDES, Leo (COASTAL) 6-2, 6-4
5. MANZANAS, Diego (PCM) def. WHALEN, Hunter (COASTAL) 7-5, 6-7, 7-6
6. ASIS, Gonzalo (PCM) def. AL-MUTAWA, Jabor (COASTAL) 6-0, 5-7, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. TSANGARIDIS, Philipp/CHRISTOFIDES, Leo (COASTAL) def. BERGHAUS, Rafael/ROBERTS, Joel (PCM) 8-4
2. YEDIGARIAN, Garik/SAMED, Renan (COASTAL) def. MILLER, Ryan/KELLEY, Ben (PCM) 8-6
3. MANZANAS, Diego/MILLS, Grayson (PCM) def. NILSSON, Ted/WHALEN, Hunter (COASTAL) 8-6
