Louisville Sweeps Clemson at ITA Kickoff

Sunday, January 28

Columbia, S.C.

10 a.m.

University of Louisville

Clemson

Will Mayew hits the ball during the match against Xavier at Bass Rudd Tennis Center on January 17.

Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics

January 28, 2024 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

Cardinals beat Tigers 4-0 in consolation match at ITA Kickoff Weekend

By: Dana Brown

COLUMBIA, S.C. – UofL won the consolation match at its ITA Kickoff site on Sunday afternoon, sweeping ACC foe Clemson 4-0.

"I am so proud of how the guys bounced back from yesterday," said head coach Rodrigo da Silva. "They played with a lot of energy, and they competed very hard. The schedule does not get any easier, so we need to work hard and stay focused."

Louisville 4, Clemson 0
Clemson (2-2) opened the match by defeating Will Mayew and Piet Steveker on Court 2 in doubles. The Cardinals responded with a win on Court 1 by Etienne Donnet and Natan Rodrigues with a score of 6-4, winning the final two games and beating the No. 30 doubles duo in the country.

The deciding doubles point came down Miguel Avendaño and Andre' Steinbach on Court 3. The duo came back to win 7-6, winning the tiebreaker point 7-3.

Steveker started the Cards off with a singles win on Court 6, defeating his opponent 6-4, 6-1. Mayew was not far behind on Court 4 with another dominant victory. He remains undefeated in singles this spring with a perfect 5-0 mark after winning his Sunday match 6-3, 6-1.

For the second weekend in a row, Rodrigues scored the match point for Louisville, winning on Court 26-2, 7-6 (7-4).

Up Next
Louisville (4-1) has one more road match before heading home for nine straight matches. The Cardinals will travel to Lexington on Friday to play in-state rival, No. 10 Kentucky in the Battle of the Bluegrass at 5 p.m. ET.

Louisville Men's Tennis 4, Clemson 0
Jan. 28, 2024, at Columbia, S.C. | (Carolina Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. #16 Etienne Donnet (LOU-MT) vs. Ryuhei Azuma (CU) 6-4, 6-5, unfinished
2. Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) def. Wissam Abderrhman (CU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Andre' Steinbach (LOU-MT) vs. Marko Mesarovic (CU) 7-5, 4-3, unfinished
4. #56 Will Mayew (LOU-MT) def. Matt Pitts (CU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Kosuke Nakanishi (LOU-MT) vs. Stewart Aronson (CU) 6-2, 3-6, 1-1, unfinished
6. Piet Steveker (LOU-MT) def. Max Smith (CU) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Etienne Donnet/Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) def. #30 Noa Vukadin/Max Smith (CU) 6-4
2. Marko Mesarovic/Stewart Aronson (CU) def. Will Mayew/Piet Steveker (LOU-MT) 6-3
3. Miguel Avendano/Andre' Steinbach (LOU-MT) def. Ryuhei Azuma/Wissam Abderrhman (CU) 7-6 (7-3)

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,4,2)