The sixth-seeded Florida men’s tennis team swept Auburn, 4-0, on Sunday in Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex, earning a place in the NCAA Round of 16. The Gators (21-4) will play tournament host Georgia (19-7) Friday at 6 p.m. at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
“We’re very excited to win and very excited to move on to the Round of 16,” Florida head coach Andy Jackson said. “I thought it was a very difficult match because of the quality of Auburn’s team, very much like the other two matches that we played. We fought very hard. We pushed through, and the guys had really done a lot of work. They deserve it, in my opinion. We’re going to the Round of 16, and I don’t know how many teams have a chance but we’re one of the teams that have a chance. Regardless, we’re going to be ready to go Friday night.”
The win sends Florida into the Round of 16 for the 16th time in the past 20 years and the eighth in Jackson’s nine seasons leading the program.
Sunday’s victory was Florida’s third against Auburn (12-13) this season, following wins in the SEC regular season and the SEC Tournament semifinals. Florida has now reached 21 wins in a season for the third time in nine seasons under Jackson after achieving that mark six times in the previous 62 years. Florida has also beaten the Bulldogs twice this season, posting wins over Georgia in February’s ITA National Team Indoor Championships and in Gainesville during the SEC regular season.
Florida jumped out to the early lead on Sunday, winning doubles in convincing fashion. After No. 68 Sekou Bangoura Jr. and Joey Burkhardt posted an 8-3 win on court two, eighth-ranked Antoine Benneteau and Alexandre Lacroix clinched the point for UF with an identical 8-3 victory on court one against 10th-ranked Tim Puetz and Alex Stamchev.
Bangoura got the Gators rolling in singles play, with a dominating 6-2, 6-1 court five victory over Oliver Strecker that lasted just an hour and three minutes. It marked Bangoura’s 20th singles dual match victory this spring, the first Gator to reach that plateau this season.
“I was definitely really nervous coming into today, but that’s where the team aspect comes in,” Bangoura said. “Everybody’s helping you out and pushing you and supporting you. Today was really exciting, and it was even better that I could play well and get a point on the board for the Gators.”
Benneteau, a senior playing in his last career match in Gainesville, came up with a big win against Stamchev on court three, giving the Gators a 3-0 edge while avenging a loss to Stamchev in the teams’ regular-season meeting.
“It feels good, obviously,” Benneteau said. “I didn’t think too much about it until this morning, when I realized that it was going to be my last match at home here. Of course, I’m kind of sad about it, but I’m just so happy for the team, for all these guys that I’ve been working with this whole year, that we’re about to make it to the Sweet 16. That happiness just takes all the room in my heart.”
For the second consecutive day, the clincher came from Nassim Slilam on court six. Slilam posted a 6-4, 6-3 win over Andy Mies to send the Gators into the Sweet 16 and preserve the 4-0 sweep.
“I’m so happy about what Nassim did during these two days,” Benneteau said. “He’s been through a lot this semester with a new language and going to school…He came here, and he has everything to prove. It’s a big adjustment for him to make, and he’s doing it pretty well. He still has work to do, but I still have work to do. We’re just trying to help him. It’s great that he’s able to clinch that kind of match because it shows a lot of toughness.”
Florida trailed in the other three singles matches when Slilam’s victory ended the match.
The Gators are one of four SEC schools advancing to the Round of 16, along with No. 2 Tennessee, No. 11 Georgia and No. 12 Kentucky.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
GAINESVILLE REGIONAL / University of Florida / Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex / Sunday, May 16 second round
No. 6 FLORIDA 4, No. 31 AUBURN 0
DOUBLES
(8) Antoine Benneteau-Alexandre Lacroix (F) def. (10) Tim Puetz-Alex Stamchev, 8-3 (1:00); 2. (68) Sekou Bangoura Jr.-Joey Burkhardt (F) def. Tim Hewitt-Lucas Lopasso, 8-3 (0:43); 3. Daniel Cash-Bob Van Overbeek (F) vs. Andy Mies-Oliver Strecker (A), 7-4 DNF. Order of finish: 2, 1. Florida wins doubles point, 2-0.
SINGLES
1. (7) Alexandre Lacroix (F) vs. (16) Tim Puetz (A), 5-7, 5-5 DNF; 2. (110) Joey Burkhardt (F) vs. Tim Hewitt (A), 3-6, 6-5 DNF; 3. Antoine Benneteau (F) def. (105) Alex Stamchev, 6-3, 6-2 (1:46); 4. Bob Van Overbeek (F) vs. Lucas Lopasso (A), 3-6, 6-3, 2-3 DNF; 5. Sekou Bangoura Jr. (F) def. Oliver Strecker, 6-2, 6-1 (1:03); 6. Nassim Slilam (F) def. Andy Mies, 6-4, 6-3 (1:53). Order of finish: 5, 3, 6.
Records: Florida 21-4, Auburn 12-13.
REGIONALS / May 14-16
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA / Charlottesville, Va. / Snyder Tennis Center
Saturday, May 15
Wake Forest 4, Columbia 0
(1) Virginia 4, Navy 0
Sunday, May 16
(1) Virginia 4, Wake Forest 0; Virginia (37-1) advances)
DUKE UNIVERSITY / Durham, N.C. / Ambler Tennis Stadium
Friday, May 14
North Carolina 4, Nebraska 1
(16) Duke 4, Virginia Commonwealth 0
Saturday, May 15
(16) Duke 4, North Carolina 1; Duke (20-8) advances
STANFORD UNIVERSITY / Stanford, Calif. / Taube Family Tennis Stadium
Saturday, May 15
Pepperdine 4, Hawaii 0
(8) Stanford 4, Quinnipiac 0
Sunday, May 16
(8) Stanford 4, Pepperdine 0; Stanford (20-5) advances
UCLA / Los Angeles, Calif. / Los Angeles Tennis Center
Saturday, May 15
California 4, UC Irvine 0
(9) UCLA 4, Sacramento State 0
Sunday, May 16
(9) UCLA 4, California 0; UCLA (16-6) advances
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY / Columbus, Ohio / Stickney Tennis Center
Saturday, May 15
Michigan 4, Denver 1
(4) Ohio State 4, Western Michigan 0
Sunday, May 16
(4) Ohio State 4, Michigan 1; Ohio State (34-1) advances
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS / Champaign, Ill. / Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex
Friday, May 14
Wisconsin 4, Notre Dame 2
(13) Illinois 4, Xavier, Ohio 0
Saturday, May 15
Wisconsin 4, (13) Illinois 1; Wisconsin (21-7) advances
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / Los Angeles, Calif. / Marks Stadium
Friday, May 14
Fresno State 4, Brigham Young 2
(5) Southern California 4, Marist 0
Saturday, May 15
(5) Southern California 4, Fresno State 1; Southern California (21-3) advances
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY / Lexington, Ky. / Hillary J. Boone Tennis Complex
Friday, May 14
Georgia Tech 4, Binghamton 1
(12) Kentucky 4, Cleveland State 0
Sunday, May 16
(12) Kentucky 4, Georgia Tech 1; Kentucky (25-8) advances
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA / Athens, Ga. / Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Saturday, May 15
Florida State 4, Boise State 0
(11) Georgia 4, UNC Greensboro 0
Sunday, May 16
(11) Georgia 4, Florida State 3; Georgia (19-7) advances
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA / Gainesville, Fla. / Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Saturday, May 15
Auburn 4, Troy 0
(6) Florida 4, South Carolina State 0
Sunday, May 16
(6) Florida 4, Auburn 0; Florida (21-4) advances
OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY / Norman, Okla. / Headington Family Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Oklahoma 4, Tulsa 0
(14) Texas Tech 4, Wichita State 0
Saturday, May 15
Oklahoma 4, (14) Texas Tech 2; Oklahoma (18-7) advances
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS / Austin, Texas / Penick-Allison Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Minnesota 4, Arizona 1
(3) Texas 4, UTSA 0
Saturday, May 15
(3) Texas 4, Minnesota 0; Texas (27-2) advances
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY / College Station, Texas / George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
Friday, May 14
Mississippi 4, Texas Christian 1
(10) Texas A&M 4, Prairie View 0
Saturday, May 15
(10) Texas A&M 4, Mississippi 2; Texas A&M (25-6) advances
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY / Waco, Texas / Baylor Tennis Center
Saturday, May 15
Rice 4, Washington 3
(7) Baylor 4, Oral Roberts 0
Sunday, May 16
(7) Baylor 4, Rice 0; Baylor (23-6) advances
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE / Louisville, Ky. / Bass-Rudd Tennis Center
Saturday, May 15
Virginia Tech 4, Vanderbilt 0
(15) Louisville 4, Eastern Kentucky 0
Sunday, May 16
(15) Louisville 4, Virginia Tech 1; Louisville (24-5) advances
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE / Knoxville, Tenn. / Barksdale Stadium
Saturday, May 15
East Tennessee State 4, Alabama 2
(2) Tennessee 4, Winthrop 0
Sunday, May 16
(2) Tennessee 4, East Tennessee State 1; Tennessee (28-1) advances
ROUND OF 16 / University of Georgia / Athens, Ga. / Dan Magill Tennis Complex / Friday, May 21
(4) Ohio State (34-1) vs. Wisconsin (21-7), 9 a.m.
(5) Southern California (21-3) vs. (12) Kentucky (25-8), 9 a.m.
(1) Virginia (37-1) vs. (16) Duke (20-8), 12 p.m.
(8) Stanford (20-5) vs. (9) UCLA (16-6), 12 p.m.
(10) Texas A&M (25-6) vs. (7) Baylor (23-6), 3 p.m.
(15) Louisville (24-5) vs. (2) Tennessee (28-1), 3 p.m.
(11) Georgia (19-7) vs. (6) Florida (21-4), 6 p.m.
Oklahoma (18-7) vs. (3) Texas (27-2), 6 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS / Sunday, May 23
I: (1) Virginia/(16) Duke winner vs. (8) Stanford/(9) UCLA winner, 1 p.m.
II: (4) Ohio State/Wisconsin winner vs. (5) Southern California/(12) Kentucky winner, 2 p.m.
III: (10) Texas A&M/(7) Baylor winner vs. (15) Louisville/(2) Tennessee winner, 4 p.m.
IV: (11) Georgia/(6) Florida winner vs. Oklahoma/(3) Texas winner, 5 p.m.
SEMIFINALS / Monday, May 24
Quarterfinal I winner vs. Quarterfinal II winner, 4 p.m.
Quarterfinal III winner vs. Quarterfinal IV winner, 5 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP / Tuesday, May 25
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
NCAA DIVISION I SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
WEDNESDAY-MONDAY / May 26-31
Seeds 1-8
1. Henrique Cunha (Duke); 2. Steve Johnson (Southern California); 3. John-Patrick Smith (Tennessee); 4. Guillermo Gomez (Georgia Tech); 5. Austin Krajicek (Texas A&M); 6. Oleksandr Nedovyesov (Oklahoma State); 7. Chase Buchanan (Ohio State); 8. Alexandre Lacroix (Florida).
Seeds 9-16 (alphabetical)
Robert Farah (Southern California), Bradley Klahn (Stanford), Dimitar Kutrovsky (Texas), Denes Lukacs (Baylor), Tim Puetz (Auburn), Eric Quigley (Kentucky), Michael Shabaz (Virginia), Sanam Singh (Virginia).
Seeds 17-64 (alphabetical)
Haythem Abid (UCLA), Marcelo Arevalo (Tulsa), Jean-Yves Aubone (Florida State), Artem Baradach (Southern Methodist), Moritz Baumann (Wisconsin), Bassam Beidas (Pepperdine), Charles Bottoni (East Tennessee State), Matt Brooklyn (UCLA), Pedro Campos (South Carolina), Tripper Carleton (Wake Forest), Raony Carvalho (Texas Tech), Thibaut Charron (Virginia Commonwealth), Austen Childs (Louisville), Boris Conkic (Tennessee), Ed Corrie (Texas), Drew Courtney (Virginia), Diego Cubas (South Carolina), Jeff Dadamo (Texas A&M), Andrei Daescu (Oklahoma), Clay Donato (North Carolina), Gonzalo Escobar (Texas Tech), Steven Forman (Wake Forest), Javier Garrapiz (Georgia), Kiryl Harbatsiuk (Sacramento State), Jose Hernandez (North Carolina), Jarmere Jenkins (Virginia), Jason Jung (Michigan), Justin Kronauge (Ohio State), Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt), James Meredith (Boise State), Marek Michalicka (Wisconsin), Vahid Mirzadeh (Florida State), Alex Musialek (Kentucky), Saketh Myneni (Alabama), Dennis Nevolo (Illinois), John Peers (Middle Tennessee), Yoann Re (Virginia Tech), Bruno Rosa (Rice), Jordan Rux (Baylor), Ivan Salec (Radford), Neal Skupski (Louisiana State), Marcel Thiemann (Mississippi), Sven Vloedgraven (Binghamton), Ashley Watling (Tulsa), Casey Watt (Notre Dame), Rhyne Williams (Tennessee), Jonathan Wong (Columbia), Pedro Zerbini (California).
Alternates
1. Jaime Pulgar (North Carolina State); 2. Alex Clayton (Stanford); 3. Louis Cant (Mississippi State); 4. Reid Carleton (Duke); 5. Ionut Beleleu (Oklahoma); 6. Clint Bowles (Florida State); 7. Chris Nott (Arkansas); 8. Sebastian Gallego (Minnesota).
NCAA DIVISION I DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
WEDNESDAY-MONDAY / May 26-31
Seeds 1-4
1. Henrique Cunha-Reid Carleton (Duke); 2. John-Patrick Smith-Davey Sandgren (Tennessee); 3. Robert Farah-Steve Johnson (Southern California); 4. Bradley Klahn-Ryan Thacher (Stanford).
Seeds 5-8 (alphabetically by school)
Alexandre Lacroix-Antoine Benneteau (Florida), Dino Marcan-Chase Buchanan (Ohio State), Dimitar Kutrovsky-Josh Zavala (Texas), Jeff Dadamo-Austin Krajicek (Texas A&M).
Seeds 9-32 (alphabetically by school)
Alexander Stamchev-Tim Puetz (Auburn), Denes Lukacs-Roberto Maytin (Baylor), Jonathan Dahan-Pedro Zerbini (California), Rikus de Villiers-Remi Boutillier (Fresno State), Dennis Nevolo-Marek Czerwinski (Illinois), Brad Cox-Eric Quigley (Kentucky), Alejandro Calligari-Simon Childs (Louisville), Jason Jung-Evan King (Michigan), Christoph Thiemann-Marcel Thiemann (Mississippi), George Coupland-Artem Ilyushin (Mississippi State), Clay Donato-Stefan Hardy (North Carolina), Andrei Daescu-Costin Paval (Oklahoma), Aleksey Bessonov-Oleksandr Nedovyesov (Oklahoma State), Bassam Beidas-Alex Llompart (Pepperdine), Pedro Campos-Diego Cubas (South Carolina), Boris Conkic-Rhyne Williams (Tennessee), Emanu Brighiu-Christopher Price (Texas Christian), Raony Carvalho-Rafael Garcia (Texas Tech), Philip Stephens-Ashley Watling (Tulsa), Nick Meister-Amit Inbar (UCLA), Drew Courtney-Michael Shabaz (Virginia), Steven Forman-Iain Atkinson (Wake Forest), Keziel Juneau-Sebastien Vidal (William and Mary), Moritz Baumann-Marek Michalicka (Wisconsin).
Alternates
1. David Bendheim-Calin Paar (Nebraska); 2. Alexey Grigorov-Marcus Lunt (Texas A&M); 3. Alex Llompart-Finn Tearney (Pepperdine); 4. Connor Smith-Vahid Mirzadeh (Florida State); 5. Austen Childs-Simon Childs (Louisville); 6. Lachlan Ferguson-Josh MacTaggart (Indiana); 7. Kellen Damico-Ed Corrie (Texas); 8. Houston Barrick-Sanam Singh (Virginia); 9. Saketh Myneni-Michael Davis (Alabama).