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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After falling behind, 3-1, the USC Upstate men's tennis team rallied to draw even at 3-3, but Winthrop claimed the final singles match of the afternoon to claim a 4-3 victory at the Upstate Tennis Complex.
Winthrop (3-6) claimed the doubles point after claiming victories at doubles No. 2 and No. 3.
Trailing 2-0, Matthias Kidler closed the gap to one with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Guy Kubi at singles No. 2. Winthrop responded with a 6-4, 6-1 victory by Dylan Comerford at singles No. 3 to take a 3-1 lead.
Upstate responded with three-set victories by Yvon Haessig and Ramiro Blanco. Haessig picked up a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Luka Stanic at singles No. 5. Blanco tied the match at three with a 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Naday Ruppin at singles No. 1.
The outcome of the match came down to the result of singles No. 4. Yuta Hirokawa claimed set one, 6-1, before Gonzalo Blanco claimed set two, 6-2. In the tiebreaker set, Hirokawa outlasted Blanco, 6-3, to give the Eagles the victory.
The Spartans will return to action with a pair of matches in the state of Louisiana beginning next Sunday.