Florida men’s tennis coach Andy Jackson knows each match his team plays this postseason will be tougher than the one before it. Saturday, the No. 6 Gators took care of Mid-Eastern Athletic Association champion South Carolina State, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships in Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
Florida improved to 20-4 on the season and 36-19 all-time in NCAA Tournament action. The Gators face Southeastern Conference opponent Auburn in the second round Sunday at 2 p.m., with a trip to the Round of 16 at the University of Georgia on the line. Florida has defeated Auburn twice this season, a 5-2 home win in the regular season and a 4-1 victory in the SEC Tournament.
“I thought we played a solid match (Saturday),” Jackson said. “I told the guys that we earned the right to be the top seed after having a very good regular season. We played a good, sharp match today but tomorrow will be a completely different challenge. Auburn is an SEC team and has played us very well twice. We’ll have to play well or we will lose.”
The Gators grabbed the doubles point in just 38 minutes. Florida’s eighth-ranked team of Antoine Benneteau and Alexandre Lacroix scored an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles and then the No. 3 doubles team of Daniel Cash and Bob Van Overbeek had an 8-2 victory to give Florida the doubles point.
Florida wasted little time in the singles play, clinching the match in just over an hour of play. Lacroix, ranked seventh nationally, beat Gabriel Meana, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 1 singles.
“We’ve been excited to play this match because we were practicing against each other for two weeks,” Lacroix said. “I think we did a good job today. We were really focused in both doubles and singles. It was a quick match which was important because of the heat today and will help us be more rested for our match tomorrow. For me individually, I’m really happy with how I played in both singles and doubles.”
Soon after Lacroix’s win, Benneteau finished off a 6-2, 6-0 victory on court three over Peteris Vinogradovs. One minute later, Nassim Slilam beat Jan Langer at No. 6 singles, 6-3, 6-0.
With Benneteau and Lacroix’s doubles victory on Saturday, they became just the second pair in Florida men’s tennis history to reach 30 doubles wins together in a season, improving to 30-6 in 2009-10.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
GAINESVILLE REGIONAL / University of Florida / Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex / Saturday, May 15 first-round matches
No. 31 AUBURN 4, No. 55 TROY 0
DOUBLES
1. (10) Tim Puetz-Alex Stamchev (A) def. Luis Henrique Grangeiro-Mario Rolemberg, 8-2 (0:46); 2. Tim Hewitt-Lucas Lopasso (A) vs. Xavier Masson-Branko Weber (T), 8-7 DNF; 3. Andy Mies-Oliver Strecker (A) def. Anas Rouchdi-Guiherme Sahadi, 8-5 (0:59). Order of finish: 1, 3. Auburn wins doubles point, 2-0.
SINGLES
1. (16) Tim Puetz (A) vs. Luis Henrique Grangeiro (T), 6-4, 4-3 DNF; 2. Tim Hewitt (A) def. Aurelien Tave, 6-0, 6-3 (1:11); 3. (105) Alex Stamchev (A) def. Branko Weber, 6-1, 6-0 (0:53); 4. Lucas Lopasso (A) vs. Xavier Masson (T), 6-6 (5-1) DNF; 5. Oliver Strecker (A) vs. Mario Rolemberg (T), 6-4, 0-0 DNF; 6. Andy Mies (A) def. Guiherme Sahadi, 6-1, 6-2 (1:07). Order of finish: 3, 6, 2.
Records: Auburn 12-12, Troy 20-5.
No. 6 FLORIDA 4, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 0
DOUBLES
1. (8) Antoine Benneteau-Alexandre Lacroix (F) def. Gabriel Meana-Radek Pivonka, 8-1 (0:33); 2. (68) Joey Burkhardt-Sekou Bangoura Jr. (F) vs. Dymtro Kovalevych-Jan Langer (SCS), 6-3 DNF; 3. Bob Van Overbeek-Daniel Cash (F) def. Peteris Vinogradovs-David Grund. 8-2 (0:38). Order of finish: 1, 3. Florida wins doubles point, 2-0.
SINGLES
1. (7) Alexandre Lacroix (F) def. Gabriel Meana, 6-0, 6-1 (0:50); 2. (110) Joey Burkhardt (F) vs. Radek Pivonka (SCS), 6-2, 2-3 DNF; 3. Antoine Benneteau (F) def. Peteris Vinogradovs, 6-2, 6-0 (1:02); 4. Bob Van Overbeek (F) vs. Dymtro Kovalevych (SCS), 6-1, 3-3 DNF: 5. Sekou Bangoura Jr. (F) vs. Alexander Malko (SCS), 6-1, 4-1 DNF; 6. Nassim Slilam (F) vs. Jan Langer, 6-3, 6-0 (1:03). Order of finish: 1, 3, 6.
Records: Florida 20-4, South Carolina State 11-11.
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 (36-1) vs. Wake Forest (16-9), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (19-5) vs. Pepperdine (17-10), 3 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (15-6) vs. California (13-7), 4 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (33-1) vs. Michigan (14-10), 12 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (24-8) vs. Georgia Tech (18-7), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (18-7) vs. Florida State (15-9), 2 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (20-4) vs. Auburn (12-12), 2 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (22-6) vs. Rice (15-10), 3 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (23-5) vs. Virginia Tech (16-7), 2 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
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 (27-1) vs. East Tennessee State (16-7), 1 p.m. (winner advances to Round of 16)
ROUND OF 16 / University of Georgia / Athens, Ga. / Dan Magill Tennis Complex / Friday, May 21
Ohio State Regional winner vs. Wisconsin (21-7), 9 a.m.
(5) Southern California (21-3) vs. Kentucky Regional winner, 9 a.m.
Virginia Regional winner vs. (16) Duke (20-8), 12 p.m.
Stanford Regional winner vs. UCLA Regional winner, 12 p.m.
(10) Texas A&M (25-6) vs. Baylor Regional winner, 3 p.m.
Louisville Regional winner vs. Tennessee Regional winner, 3 p.m.
Georgia Regional winner vs. Florida Regional winner, 6 p.m.
Oklahoma (18-7) vs. (3) Texas (27-2), 6 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS / Sunday, May 23
I: Virginia Regional/(16) Duke winner vs. Stanford Regional/UCLA Regional winner, 1 p.m.
II: Ohio State Regional/Wisconsin winner vs. (5) Southern California/Kentucky Regional winner, 2 p.m.
III: (10) Texas A&M/Baylor Regional winner vs. Louisville Regional/Tennessee Regional winner, 4 p.m.
IV: Georgia Regional/Florida Regional 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).