TULSA, Okla. — The Florida Gators men’s tennis team went 1-1 Monday during the first round of qualifying for the ITA All-American Championships. The event is the first of the 2009-10 collegiate-level Grand Slams.
Johnny Hamui of Wesley Chapel, currently No. 117 in the nation, scored a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Texas Christian’s No. 55 Slah Mbarek of Texas Christian. But teammate Antoine Benneteau of France, ranked No. 107, dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision to Texas A&M’s Alexey Grigorov.
Next up for Hamui Tuesday is Marcel Thiemann of Mississippi, who defeated Jonathan Wong of Columbia in three sets. Hamui must win two more times to qualify for the main singles draw, which begins play Thursday. Florida’s Alexandre Lacriox of France, ranked No. 23, is in the main draw.