Clemson men’s tennis started its spring campaign 2-0 after beating East Tennessee State University, 6-1, and The Citadel, 7-0, this Saturday at Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. The Tigers’ sweep in their home opener marked the beginning of a very promising season for the team.
Noa Vukadin and Maxwell Smith ranked No. 22 in doubles, set the tone with a 6-0 win over ETSU’s Peter Kalocsai and Martin Garcia-Ripoll. After their quick finish, Viktor Markov and Max Damm secured the doubles point for Clemson with a convincing 6-3 win.
Smith recalled the team’s first match last spring and noted a significant improvement in quality and chemistry between him and his doubles partner, Vukadin, a year later.
“An extra year of playing together and the experience we got in the fall. We haven’t felt this connected before and we are playing so well together,” Smith said in an interview with The Tiger. “We are so excited for the next match.”
In singles play, Vukadin played as Clemson’s No. 1 singles player for the first time in his career, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win in the outing. Markov, Wissam Abderrahman, Marko Mesarovic and Smith followed suit with singles wins over ETSU. All matches were won in straight sets, apart from Mesarovic, who held onto his nerve to clinch the deciding third set.
However, the work was not done for the Tigers. The team got straight back to work as the players suited up to play The Citadel.
In Clemson’s match against The Citadel, coach Brandon Wagner experimented with changes in the team’s doubles and singles lineups, sitting Vukadin and Smith out of the game. In their place, Markov played with Damm as the pair breezed to a 6-0 doubles win. Abderrahman and Romain Gales took care of business on doubles court No. 2, while Mesarovic and Matt Pitts wrapped up their doubles match 6-1.
The Tigers went 3-0 against The Citadel in doubles.
The same dominance carried over in singles play. Markov, Abderrahman, Gales, Cherie Ligniere, Mesarovic and Smith all won their singles matches in straight sets. In doing so, the Tigers ended the day without dropping a single set to the Bulldogs in singles or doubles.
“Great time of the year for all of us to be back competing in dual matches,” Wagner said. “Our guys did a good job today and are eager for the upcoming tests ahead.”
With the spring season now underway, the Tigers are back in action this weekend as they travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to face another team of Tigers.
“Our first big match is this weekend at Memphis, which will really show where we are as a team,” said Smith.
It’s a big year for Wagner’s squad, and his team knows just how strong their season could be.
