Clemson Tiger tennis

5-2 loss to FSU but not a bad showing, the Tigers were overmatched in only 2 spots.

Favrot got a HUGE win at 1 over #12 Iradukunda. He trailed 1-5 in the 3rd set and came back to win it 7-6(3) in the 3rd. That will boost his individual ranking up nicely from #64 solidly into the NCAA individual level.
 
Not sure whats up with these off weekends 2 of the last 3 weeks. Ranking up to 36. Solidly into the no tournament with that ranking, will need ACC wins to maintain it though.

Yannick Maden routined former NCAA champ Blaz Rola 6-2 6-3 in the Shenzhen Challenger 1st round.
 
4-2 loss to UNC Asheville. I don't get the patchy scheduling. This was the first match in 17 days and only the 4 match since February 16. It's supposed to be mid season yet the team is rusty thanks to so much time between matches.
That's no excuse for losing to the #229 team however.
 

chris-swede

Hall of Fame
no ncaas for them
no excuse for this loss
well #1 Player of UNCA is good but Clemson should be much deeper
Favrot not played Singles? injured as the doubles showed? orjust fault by the Coach as he thought..hey we will win this one?
UNCA lost 0-7 to Charlotte for example....or many losses vs other bad Teams..
 
The only players who have been positives this season are Yizhou Liu and Simon Baudry. The good news is that they they are both young. A freshman and sophomore.

The rest of the team hasn't had many bright spots though. Favrot competes but he has been losing most of his matches. Edwards seems to get less competitive by the match, not ending his career with flying colors. And court 6 continues to be a struggle. Clemson reverted to a club player (he was on the Clemson club team last season) at #6 for the Duke and UNC matches and he won 2 games over 2 matches (0,2 and 0,0)
 
dissappointing that they wont recruit their own players. Trying to make a living off of transfers will never get them to a good level.

Yeah that seems to be the strategy the last few years. Edwards, Baudry, Augusto, Johnson etc were all transfers. Our best success in the past few years was with our own players like the Maden brothers and Hunter Harrington. So I agree with you.

Clemson did also sign Teodor Giusca from Romania who has a UTR of 13.47
https://twitter.com/ClemsonMTennis/status/992068437676576769

so a top 4 of Baudry, Giusca, Liu and Diaz Freire is actually pretty decent. And assuming Beau Pelletier will be able to play next year, things are looking better for Clemson in 2019.
 

jcgatennismom

Hall of Fame
And assuming Beau Pelletier will be able to play next year, things are looking better for Clemson in 2019.
Was Beau injured this year? I wondered why he never played. He was one of the top southern players from the class of 2017. His UTR was certainly higher than some of the players who played 5 and 6 this year for Clemson.
 
Clemson passed up a chance at the #3 in Starkville to face #2 Arizona in the ITA kickoff. Arizona would've been a good competitive matchup and then there's a good chance to play Miss State in what would be a new destination for the team. I'm unhappy with that decision.

I guess there are revenge matches vs Charlotte and UNC-Asheville to schedule
 
Clemson passed up a chance at the #3 in Starkville to face #2 Arizona in the ITA kickoff. Arizona would've been a good competitive matchup and then there's a good chance to play Miss State in what would be a new destination for the team. I'm unhappy with that decision.

I guess there are revenge matches vs Charlotte and UNC-Asheville to schedule

I agree completely. Maybe they have an agreement not to play so Clemson can keep taking their transfers.
 
Yannick qualifies and draws John Isner. Who would've thought the Clemson/UGA rivalry would carry over to Wimbledon?

I actually don't think it's a bad draw at all for Maden. Maden is good at redirecting pace and The grass will allow that. Also Isner's serve is less effective on grass than other surfaces, the grass will probably help Maden's serve against the Isner return.
 
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SavvyStringer

Professional
Was Beau injured this year? I wondered why he never played. He was one of the top southern players from the class of 2017. His UTR was certainly higher than some of the players who played 5 and 6 this year for Clemson.
He transferred to South Carolina. USC Tennis announced his signing on Instagram and Facebook.
 
I'm definitely feeling more positive about this year's team than the previous few years. The players are in action this weekend so that'll be a good barometer to see where they are at right now.

The singles lineup looks to be something like:

1. Simon Baudry
2. Teodor Giusca
3. Yizhou Liu
4. Gabriel Diaz Freire
5. Pierre Louis Dodens
6. Carlos Kelaidis

2-4 could do some shuffling throughout the season
 
The new facility had its official opening ribbon cutting on Friday. I swung by today and it's a vast improvement on the indoor side. The outdoor has some minor improvements as well.
 
I was looking over the beginning of this thread and how I used to recap every match. I might do some of that this year as I will be able to attend most Clemson home matches this season.

The new indoor facility debuted this weekend. It's a high quality facility with great viewing behind each of the 6 courts and individual scoreboards for each court. Huge huge upgrade over the old indoor facility.

Not much to glean from the men's doubleheader vs The Citadel this weekend as The Citadel is a very poor team. They could not keep rallies going for more than 5 shots without a wild random error. Just a much lower level of play. Teodor Giusca is going to be a very good player for Clemson and will probably be playing #1 before the season is over. He has an aggressive, solid and controlled game that will be very effective in the college game. I'll learn more about this team from the upcoming matches vs App State and Coastal Carolina.
 
I wouldn't call Elon a cupcake and Clemson certainly wasn't considering them one. Knew they were better than App State and Coastal. Elon is at the level of some mid-major threats like VCU,UNCW,ETSU,South Alabama etc. and those type of teams are scheduled for a good test.
Now should Clemson have lost the match? No.
I was at the match and this might sound ridiculous but Elon really did play well on the important deuce points in the early parts of the 2nd sets that stopped any chance of a Clemson momentum shift. They won the points with good play, Clemson didn't lose them (Clemson might intentionally have tried to safe play those points and it didn't work). Giusca and Dodens played well again, Baudry fought back well and Agee had chances at 6. Liu and Kelaidis were really bossed around the court.
 

jcgatennismom

Hall of Fame
I wouldn't call Elon a cupcake and Clemson certainly wasn't considering them one. Knew they were better than App State and Coastal. Elon is at the level of some mid-major threats like VCU,UNCW,ETSU,South Alabama etc. and those type of teams are scheduled for a good test.
Now should Clemson have lost the match? No.
I was at the match and this might sound ridiculous but Elon really did play well on the important deuce points in the early parts of the 2nd sets that stopped any chance of a Clemson momentum shift. They won the points with good play, Clemson didn't lose them (Clemson might intentionally have tried to safe play those points and it didn't work). Giusca and Dodens played well again, Baudry fought back well and Agee had chances at 6. Liu and Kelaidis were really bossed around the court.

Good for Clemson that the coach was willing to play a tough MM. Too many Power teams only schedule real cupcakes-I knew Elon wasnt one after Duke match-was just joking (my son has hit in the summer with an Elon player). Power coaches dont want to risk losing to an unranked team, and some do cancel matches if they fear they could lose. In the short run, it was a tough loss for Clemson, but hopefully the team will learn from it. With so many US players sitting on benches on other ACC teams, maybe with the new facility, Clemson will have a better time with recruiting or getting transfers in future years. Lot of good players in SC-Clemson has got to do a better job and not let the Gamecocks and Duke take them all-at least you got one native from 2019. Coach needs to get some of those Smith Stearns guys from HHI too (international or US)-of course Duke has an advantage there.
 
Not much to glean from the men's doubleheader vs The Citadel this weekend as The Citadel is a very poor team. They could not keep rallies going for more than 5 shots without a wild random error. Just a much lower level of play.
Hard to get great players to come the Citadel. Or to any of the military based colleges.
 
I watched the women's team get roughed up pretty good by Georgia on Saturday. This may not be a tournament team this year, the talent is certainly much lower than it has been in years past.
 
Men's team lost to Princeton on Friday 5-2. (Not very encouraging since Princeton only beat Charlotte 4-3 yesterday).

Clemson had leads on all courts in doubles but ended up dropping the point. Kelaidis being moved up to 3 was odd. I liked trying Giusca at 1, even though he lost, it was a good test and Baudry had a solid win at 2.

I really hope this isn't another year of sacrificing #6 every match. Jahn was a medium rated freshman recruit and he got routed 6-1 6-1 at 6. Shades of last year when they tried the unsuccessful rotation of Dagostine/Rabideau/Quattlebaum at 6. The three of them never even won a set vs a real opponent all year. Agee should be #6 right now, he has lost some matches but he's at least competed so far.

#6 being a weakness is thanks to Loyola Marymount transfer Gabriel Diaz Freire being ineligible right now (he doesn't dress out for matches or travel with the team). He would probably be playing 2 or 3 right now.
 
I am heading down to Columbia tomorrow to watch Clemson face off against South Carolina. I'll be very surprised if Clemson wins but I'm hoping the team puts up a decent fight. I really hope I'm not making the trip to see a rout.
 
It was a good match. Clemson had them on the ropes but couldn’t deliver the KO.

Yeah it was a close one. This was actually the 1st time I have seen a match outdoors in Columbia (the previous 2 times the matches were moved indoors).

Clemson played well in doubles and took the doubles point. But I knew it would be hard to win even with the doubles point.

1. #16 Paul Jubb def Teodor Giusca 6-2 6-2
Clemson decided to go with Giusca at 1 rather than Baudry and it was not a good matchup for Giusca. Jubb was able to dictate points by using his lanky flat shots to move his opponent corner to corner. Giusca tried to turn it into more of a grinding match but never got his teeth into it.

2. #100 Simon Baudry def Yancy Dennis 6-3 3-6 6-4
This was definitely the best singles match of the day. Many long rallies. Dennis had some sort of injury in the 3rd set but still fought through it to make it a competitive 3rd set. Unfortunately the 3rd set's importance was lessened by Lambling blowing through the 3rd set on court 4.

3. #110 Daniel Rodrigues def Carlos Kelaidis 6-0 6-2
I watched almost none of this match. Pretty clear one way traffic the whole way through.

4. #114 Raphael Lambling def Yizhou Liu 1-6 7-5 6-1
This match turned out to be the decider. Liu won the 1st set with an easy scoreline but you had the feeling it was far from over. Lambling played much better in the 2nd set. The 3rd set was quite painful to watch for a Clemson fan because Liu did not play well and Lambling just let him self-destruct, he won the first 8 points of the set and it never felt like Liu had any hope of turning the momentum back in his favor.

5. Joseph Brailovsky def Pierre-Louis Dodens 6-1 6-4
While Clemson won the 1st sets on 2,4 and 6, the Gamecocks were rolling on 1, 3 and 5. I knew it would be hard to keep the leads on all 3 courts for Clemson so I was hoping that one of the other 3 would have a momentum shift in the 2nd just to keep some pressure off of the guys who were leading. I felt like this match at 5 was the most likely spot for that to happen (I did not think Giusca or Kelaidis had much of a chance). If Dodens could have pushed this to a 2nd set breaker or even a 3rd set it could have offset the big change in momentum at 4 for SC. But Brailovsky did a nice job of not allowing that to happen.

6. Jacob Jahn def Thomas Brown 6-0 6-4
Jahn was definitely the player of the day for Clemson. Played aggressively and took the match to Brown. It was a good performance from the Freshman and hopefully it means that #6 will not be such a weakness moving forward this season.


Overall I guess it was a better performance than I was expecting. Doubles and Jahn certainly were bright spots and Baudry again showed that he's the strongest fighter on the team. Disappointing in the end to not get the win because I don't think it was the best performance from SC and an upset was there for the taking.
 
Nice write-up. I was there for about an hour of singles and had the same impressions as you. It was a closer match than I expected, but that’s what in-state rivalries have a tendency to turn into. There was more juice from the crowd and from the teams in this one than most matches.
Though I am a Gamecock fan, I trained as a junior at the same place as Clemson’s HC and think highly of him as a person and competitor and want to see him succeed.
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
Yeah it was a close one. This was actually the 1st time I have seen a match outdoors in Columbia (the previous 2 times the matches were moved indoors).

Clemson played well in doubles and took the doubles point. But I knew it would be hard to win even with the doubles point.

1. #16 Paul Jubb def Teodor Giusca 6-2 6-2
Clemson decided to go with Giusca at 1 rather than Baudry and it was not a good matchup for Giusca. Jubb was able to dictate points by using his lanky flat shots to move his opponent corner to corner. Giusca tried to turn it into more of a grinding match but never got his teeth into it.

2. #100 Simon Baudry def Yancy Dennis 6-3 3-6 6-4
This was definitely the best singles match of the day. Many long rallies. Dennis had some sort of injury in the 3rd set but still fought through it to make it a competitive 3rd set. Unfortunately the 3rd set's importance was lessened by Lambling blowing through the 3rd set on court 4.

3. #110 Daniel Rodrigues def Carlos Kelaidis 6-0 6-2
I watched almost none of this match. Pretty clear one way traffic the whole way through.

4. #114 Raphael Lambling def Yizhou Liu 1-6 7-5 6-1
This match turned out to be the decider. Liu won the 1st set with an easy scoreline but you had the feeling it was far from over. Lambling played much better in the 2nd set. The 3rd set was quite painful to watch for a Clemson fan because Liu did not play well and Lambling just let him self-destruct, he won the first 8 points of the set and it never felt like Liu had any hope of turning the momentum back in his favor.

5. Joseph Brailovsky def Pierre-Louis Dodens 6-1 6-4
While Clemson won the 1st sets on 2,4 and 6, the Gamecocks were rolling on 1, 3 and 5. I knew it would be hard to keep the leads on all 3 courts for Clemson so I was hoping that one of the other 3 would have a momentum shift in the 2nd just to keep some pressure off of the guys who were leading. I felt like this match at 5 was the most likely spot for that to happen (I did not think Giusca or Kelaidis had much of a chance). If Dodens could have pushed this to a 2nd set breaker or even a 3rd set it could have offset the big change in momentum at 4 for SC. But Brailovsky did a nice job of not allowing that to happen.

6. Jacob Jahn def Thomas Brown 6-0 6-4
Jahn was definitely the player of the day for Clemson. Played aggressively and took the match to Brown. It was a good performance from the Freshman and hopefully it means that #6 will not be such a weakness moving forward this season.


Overall I guess it was a better performance than I was expecting. Doubles and Jahn certainly were bright spots and Baudry again showed that he's the strongest fighter on the team. Disappointing in the end to not get the win because I don't think it was the best performance from SC and an upset was there for the taking.
with all these ranked players, how come they don't have more success ?
 

SavvyStringer

Professional
with all these ranked players, how come they don't have more success ?
3 of the 4 Ranked players play for Carolina. Jubb is our 1, Dani is our 3, and Rafa is our 4. Baudry is the only ranked clemson player and at #100 it's not really a ranking. I don't even consider Dani and Rafa ranked and playing those spots in the lineup they likely won't be at the end of the year unless they win 90% of their matches.
 
Yeah at this point in the season all you really need is 1 ranked win to get a ranking yourself. Baudry is only ranked because he beat Timo Stodder of Tennessee in the fall.
 

jcgatennismom

Hall of Fame
Watched Clemson/GSU match on Sunday. Baudry lost even playing 2. I was surprised at all the long rallies at 1 and 2. To have a chance in the ACC and vs other ranked teams, Clemson has to have a better serve + one especially on the top lines. Didnt see much net play at singles-maybe b/c both sides were consistently hitting deep. One bright spot for Clemson-line 6 won quickly-didn't get to see any of that match as I was watching the long 1st sets for 1 and 2. Line 6 was done by then.
 
Interesting you say that about how the players play. And it coincides with my theory about the team that I am formulating and that I'll watch more closely as the season goes on.

With the new rankings being released it shows that Clemson will have some opportunities coming up. I don't expect a win over FSU on Friday but the match at Miami becomes pretty big now that Miami is ranked 35. Despite Clemson's struggles recently, they have still managed to have Miami's number and have beat them each year. It'll be more difficult this year but Miami has to prove they can get over the hurdle.

Also Penn coming in at #23 helps Clemson as the Quakers are on the schedule in a couple of weeks. That's a big opportunity to get a win over a team with an inflated ranking. Basically the Miami and Penn matches are must wins, even this early in the season.
 
On the women's side Marie Leduc and Fer Navarro are the #1 ranked doubles team in the nation in the 1st computer ranks. Really good to see them doing so well.

The gap between them and the rest of the team is really incredible.
 
Well the men got a 4-3 victory over Georgia Tech today. It was a must win. The crowd was actually very good, packed, loud and engaged throughout. The new indoor facility has really increased the viewing experience and therefore attracting more fans who enjoy coming. It was a good mix of students, local community and a local visiting tennis club who wanted to see some college tennis.

Clemson played with the lineup and went with Liu at 1 and Baudry at 2. Vialmin (Freshman from Switzerland who is now available to play after an injury) was moved into the lineup and Kelaidis was moved out thanks to his losing streak. This turned out to be a good move because Baudry matched up well with Gresk at 2 as he was able to out-maneuver the big hitting Polish player and was more steady at the end.

I spent the 1st set mainly watching court 1. Liu and Divar had a very competitive 1st set that consisted of many grueling rallies. At 3-4 40-40 Liu won a very long rally where he punished a forehand up the line for a winner to end a real battle of a point. Even though that evened the match at 4-4 and got Liu pumped up, it ended up being the turning point for Divar. Almost like that was part of his plan, if it took THAT much from Liu to win a critical point it's like Divar knew he had it. From then on Divar won 8 of 9 games and won 6-4 6-1, putting Liu on a string with precise groundstrokes and movement.

The key to the match was grabbing the doubles point and keeping the leads on all courts where Clemson took the first set. Baudry, Dodens and Jahn did not allow for any real drama to foment for GT and put away their opponents in straight sets. Jahn and Dodens were impressive with how they both served out their matches convincingly for 6-3 6-4 and 6-0 6-4 wins. If GT had snuck a break on either court to make it 5-5 in the 2nd things would have gotten hairy.

Vialmin's debut did not go so well at 4. He has a powerful forehand that can be a weapon but he overhit it too often in this match, choosing the wrong times to pull the trigger. I liked trying him in the lineup though since Kelaidis has not been getting the job done recently, plus Vialmin did win on his doubles court.

Overall a needed win in the ACC. If the team can parlay this into wins over Cornell and Penn next weekend then there will be some positive momentum for the season
 
Horrible weekend. Got blanked 4-0 by Cornell and lost 4-1 to Penn who played without their ITA ranked #1 player Kyle Mautner. So Charlotte beats Penn and Duke takes care of them fairly easily with Mautner in there and Clemson loses to them with him not playing. Not good.
 
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Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
Horrible weekend. Got blanked 4-0 by Cornell and lost 4-1 to Penn who played without their ITA ranked #1 player Kyle Mautner. So Charlotte beats Penn and Duke takes care of them fairly easily with Mautner in there and Clemson loses to them with him playing. Not good.
Is Clemson trying really hard to recruit some strong players for next season ? Overseas or in states ? And what can Clemson offer these guys that other colleges can't ?
 
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