Charlie Robertson Qualifies for NCAA Championship at ITA Carolina Regional
University of South Carolina men’s tennis player Charlie Robertson advanced to the singles final and secured a qualification for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship following a strong weekend at the ITA Carolina Regional Championships hosted at the Carolina Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C., according to results published by GamecocksOnline.com. Robertson’s performance makes him the first Gamecock this season to earn a spot in the national tournament scheduled for November.
Singles Semifinal Run and National Qualification
Robertson entered the tournament as the ninth seed in the singles draw. In the quarterfinal round, he faced teammate Charlie Swaine, securing a 6-4, 6-1 victory to move forward. He then met North Carolina’s Chris Xu in the semifinals. After dropping behind 4-1 in the second set, Robertson mounted a five-game win streak to close out the match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. That semifinal win clinched his qualification for the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Doubles Quarterfinal Matches
In the doubles draw, two Gamecock pairs reached the quarterfinals but were eliminated in narrow tiebreakers. Gabe Avram and Robertson faced sixth-seeded Ainius Sabaliauskas and Charlie Camus of NC State, dropping the match in a tiebreaker 8-7 (4). Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Sean Daryabeigi and Paul Barbier Gazeu met fourth-seeded Marko Mesarovic and Henrik Bladelius of Clemson. That quarterfinal contest also extended to a tiebreaker, with the Clemson duo edging out the Gamecocks 8-7 (2).
Upcoming Fall Invitational Schedule
The South Carolina men’s tennis team will take a brief hiatus before returning to competition later this month. The Gamecocks are scheduled to play at the Wake Forest Fall Invitational from October 23 to October 25.