Called up to his first-ever postgame press conference, freshman Spencer Newman was all smiles knowing he came up big in the NCAA Regional tennis match against South Carolina State University.
The grin was well earned if you consider where he started.
“He came into Florida, he was injured, he was rusty, had no confidence,” said head coach Andy Jackson. “It took a lot of character and hard work for him to be able to get some momentum going… He’s an elite player. He’s going to be, in my opinion, one of the better players in college.”
Newman and the Gators beat the SC State Bulldogs four points to none in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, setting up a match with in-state rival Miami tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Linder Stadium on the University of Florida’s campus. The Gators entered the tournament ranked eighth overall in the NCAA tennis rankings.
The Gators claimed a point after the pairings of Sekou Bangoura Jr. and Alexandre Lacroix and Billy Federhofer and Nassim Slilam won their matches both eight games to five.
Bangoura Jr., known for his strong technique, hit tennis balls into shoebox-sized openings between Bulldogs to win point after point.
“Bangoura is a consistent solid, player, he doesn’t get very emotional, but he’s aggressive when he needs to be,” said special guest tennis analyst Eric Kazmierczak. Kazmierczak, a former USTA Top 20 player in Florida and national doubles champion, has played against many Univ. of Fla. players, including Bangoura Jr.
Kazmierczak said it was the Gators skill along with their composure in the heat that gave them home-team advantage.
“Tennis is a 90% mental game,” he said. “The heat messes with your temperament, it gets in your head. You just want to get out of there as quick as you can.”
“(The Gators) are born, raised, and trained in this environment,” he continued. “It gives the Gators a big advantage, because they’re willing to grind games out.”
It was in the singles matches that young guns Bangoura Jr. and Newman proved their grit while upperclassmen Lacroix and Slilam made it seem easy with their poise and experience.
Bangoura continued his form into singles play where he used his control to send balls into places his opponent had no chance of getting to. Bangoura cruised his way to an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Next was Slilam, the serve-breaking machine. Slilam broke serve after serve from SC State’s Dymtro Kovalevych with forehand cannons that painted corners like Roy Halladay. Slilam also won in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.
Alexandre Lacroix played up to his International Tennis Association Southeast Region Senior of the Year award by holding off SCSU’s strong Gabriel Meana, holding a 6-2 lead in the first set before the match ended.
However, it was rookie Newman’s impressive 6-1, 6-1 victory against South Carolina State’s David Grund that won him his postgame encore with reporters.
“I come out here and try to do the right things,” Newman said. “When you do the right things the results follow.”
Despite his exciting victory, Newman was probably more energized about facing his hometown team, the University of Miami.
“I’m excited about playing against Miami,” he said with a laugh. “I’m from Miami and a lot of people put a lot of pressure on me to go there. I chose not to, so it a personal thing for me to want to beat them.”
Player Awards: The Intercollegiate Tennis Association recognized senior Alexandre Lacroix and sophomore Sekou Bangoura Jr. on Thursday with the announcement of the ITA regional awards. Lacroix earned Southeast Region Senior of the Year honors, while Bangoura was named the Southeast Region Player to Watch.
Chris Raleigh is the beat reporter for GatorCountry.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at ChrisRaleighGC.