On a freezing cold day in the dead of winter, the Clemson men’s tennis team opened its spring season in dominating fashion. The Tigers defeated the Furman Paladins 6-1 at Clemson’s Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. 

Head coach Robbie Weiss was pleased with what he saw from his players.  

“The first match is always an unknown, not knowing really how the guys are gonna respond, but once we got going, I saw they were locked in, and they did a fantastic job,” said Weiss. “Turned out to be one of our better days, honestly. Couldn’t be more proud of them,”  

Clemson took the match’s first point by defeating Furman on the doubles courts. Ryuhei Azuma and Spencer Whitaker (6-2) took care of business on court two, while Max Smith and Jorge Plans Gonzales (6-4) clinched Clemson’s doubles victory on court three.   

The match ended on the singles’ courts with a gutsy win from Spencer Whitaker (7-5, 6-3). Clemson clinched the match victory with additional wins from Max Smith (6-2. 6-1), (1) Ryuhei Azuma (6-3, 6-1), Max Pitts (6-1, 6-0) and Jorge Plans Gonzales (6-2, 6-3). 

This was Clemson’s 17th consecutive victory over Furman and the 82nd time they have defeated the Paladins’ all-time.  

What is next for the Tigers? Coach Weiss has “high expectations” for this team. “The ultimate goal is to make the NCAA Tournament and to make the top 25 in the country,” he said. “I think we can do it, I believe in these guys…. It’s just they have to start believing in that, and we have to stay healthy.” 

Clemson men’s tennis moves to 1-0 on the season with this win. Their next match is Friday, Jan. 21, at home versus Elon.