The No. 11 Florida men’s tennis team advanced to the round of 16 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a pair of victories late Saturday and Sunday at the Linder Stadium/Ring Tennis Complex. Coach Andy Jackson’s Gators improved to 3-1 with a 4-0 first-round victory over Furman Saturday night followed by a 7-0 victory over Georgia Tech Sunday.
The Gators, 3-1 heading into a home match next Saturday against Florida Atlantic, will compete Feb. 12-15 in the ITA Championships at Charlottesville, Va.
“We’re really excited to be in the Round of 16,” Florida coach Andy Jackson said. “We know Georgia Tech is capable of beating us, so we’re excited that we beat them. I told our team that I really believe Georgia Tech will be in the top 20 by the end of the year.”
Florida captured the doubles point with victories at No. 3 and No. 1. Bill Federhoder and Bob Van Overbeek scored an 8-4 victory over Georgia Tech’s Miguel Muguruza and Juan Spir. Then Antoine Benneteau and Alexandre Lacroix, the 10th-ranked doubles team in the nation, beat Georgia Tech’s Guillermo Gomez and Ryan Smith, 8-4.
With the doubles point in hand, the top-10 matchup No. 1 singles was cut short when No. 4 Gomez, who was battling an ankle injury, retired while trailing No. 7 Lacroix, 6-1, 3-1.
“It was unfortunate the match ended that way, but it’s also a credit to Alex,” Jackson said. “He was playing very physical today.”
UF picked up the table-setter from Van Overbeek, who shut down Dean O’Brien at No. 3, 6-3, 6-1. Benneteau then provided the clincher, rolling past No. 112 Dusan Miljevic, 6-0, 6-2, on court No. 5. With that victory, Benneteau remains a perfect 4-0 in dual match play, including 3-0 in the fifth position and 1-0 at No. 4.
“We have a lot of fighting spirit,” Benneteau said. “Even the new guys on the team are showing that. They’ve shown they can play for a top-10 team.”
Following Benneteau, the Gators continued to roll, picking up the final three singles matches for a clean sweep. Nassim Slilam handled Magin Ortiga, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6, while Joey Burkhardt fought off two match points from Murguruza to stay spotless at singles through four dual matches, winning 6-0, 5-7, 1-0 (11-9). The day wrapped with Sekou Bangoura Jr.’s three-set victory over Eliot Potvin at No. 2.
ITA NATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Second round, Linder Stadium/Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville, Fla.
No. 11 FLORIDA 7, GEORGIA TECH 0
Doubles
1. (10) Antoine Benneteau/Andre Lacroix (F) def. Guillermo Gomez/Ryan Smith, 8-4 (0:40); 2. Sekou Bangoura Jr./Joey Burkhardt (F) vs. Dean O’Brien/Eliot Potvin, 5-5, did not finish; 3. Bill Federhofer/Bob Van Overbeek (F) def. Miguel Muguruza/Juan Spir, 8-4 (0:51). Order of finish: 3, 1.
Singles
1. (7) Alexandre Lacroix (F) def. (4) Guillermo Gomez, 6-1, 3-1 retired (0:47); 2. Sekou Bangoura Jr. (F) def. Eliot Potvin, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 (1:51); 3. Bob Van Overbeek (F) def. Dean O’Brien, 6-3, 6-1 (1:06); 4. Joey Burkhardt (F) def. Miguel Muguruza, 6-0, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9) (1:46); 5. Antoine Benneteau (F) def. (112) Dusan Miljevic, 6-0, 6-2 (1:11); 6. Nassim Slilam (F) def. Magin Ortiga, 6-3, 6-3 (1:24). Order of finish: 1, 3, 5, 6, 4, 2.
FIRST ROUND: After a day of rain, the No. 11 Florida men’s tennis team finally got on the courts at Linder Stadium/Ring Tennis Complex and defeated Furman, 4-0, to advance to Sunday’s match with Georgia Tech. After almost a 12-hour wait, the teams agreed to start play with singles and only move to doubles if the point was needed.
“The team still had very good focus,” Jackson said. “That’s a credit to the players and to (assistant coach) Jeremy Bayon. We did well in different situations. Furman has the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history (Paul Scarpa]) and always gives a good effort, so you never get a win for free against them.”
Sophomore Joey Burkhardt wrapped up his match in 58 minutes, scoring a 6-1, 6-3 win over Carl Lundberg at No. 4 singles. Senior Antoine Benneteau followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Andrei Chvetsov at No. 5, and freshman Bob Van Overbeek made it 3-0 Florida with his 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles. Junior Alexandre Lacroix, the No. 7 player in the nation, finished the match when he beat Sawyer Duncan, 6-1, 6-3, in 82 minutes.
No. 11 FLORIDA 4, FURMAN 0
First round at Linder Stadium/Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville, Fla.
Singles
1 . (7) Alexandre Lacroix (F) def. Sawyer Duncan, 6-1, 6-3 (1:22); 2. Sekou Bangoura Jr. (F) led Chris Motes, 7-5, 4-4, did not finish; 3. Bob Van Overbeek (F) def. Jordan Walters, 6-2, 6-1 (1:15); 4. Joey Burkhardt (F) def. Carl Lundberg, 6-1, 6-3 (0:58); 5. Antoine Benneteau (F) def. Andrei Chvetsov, 6-2, 6-1 (1:06); 6. Nassim Slilam (F) led Andrew Mellow, 6-1, 3-6, 4-1, did not finish. Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1.