Freshman's performance provides spark in late match
Elon had already clinched the match, but South Carolina freshman Chip Cox wasn’t ready to quit.
Playing in the No. 5 singles slot, Cox dropped his first set to the Phoenix’s Alberto Rojas and then fell behind 5-0 in the second set and 40-0 in the sixth game. His afternoon was all but over.
The Gamecocks breezed through their first match of the season — defeating Wofford 6-1 Sunday morning — but had a challenging afternoon from the start in a 5-2 loss to Elon.
“I don’t think we can use [tiredness from the morning] as an excuse,” assistant coach Matt Lucas said. “Elon came in here and played better than us, and the morning match had no bearing on the afternoon. We’ve been doing two-a-days all week, so that had no bearing. They played well. We didn’t show up. We have to give them credit.”
The Gamecocks began the Elon match by losing the doubles point and watching No. 1 singles player Ivan Machado fall 6-0, 6-4 to Elon’s Philip Nemec.
Alexander Kostanov gave the Gamecocks their first victory, defeating Elon’s Cameron Silverman in No. 3 singles, but Johannes Pulsfort and Nick Jones lost decisive matches that guaranteed the win for the Phoenix.
Still, Cox chipped away at Rojas’ lead, tying the game and eventually winning it. His teammates cheered him on, watching as he won a second game and then a third.
“Every point,” one of them shouted to remind him that each play counted.
“Under the circumstances, it was really tough for Chip to play that match,” coach Josh Goffi said. “Being one of the last guys out on the court when we’d already lost the match, that’s a difficult situation for anyone to be in. But for a freshman, a 17-year-old kid, he did an amazing job.”
In the process of winning his fourth game, Cox didn’t allow his opponent to score.
Amid cries of “Head up” and “Hang in there, Chipper,” he tied the set.
The excitement in the mostly deserted fieldhouse mounted. Cox’s momentum seemed unstoppable as he won his sixth and seventh consecutive games to complete an unlikely comeback.
“This one’s yours,” a teammate yelled.
The freshman didn’t need a reminder.
Rather than complete a third set, the players competed in a 10-point tiebreaker, which Cox won 10-3. Although it was a largely meaningless point in a Gamecock loss, the victory was a powerful statement to never say die.
“I hope Chip understands what he just accomplished there, and I hope the other guys that were on the sidelines understand that as well,” Lucas said. “The guy he just played has been their strongest point in the past ... For Chip to come back like that in the first week of school just shows a lot of guts and a lot of character. He’ll have a great career if he continues like that.”