You could say when it comes to NCAA Tennis Tournament time, the Florida Gators men’s tennis team is automatic under Andy — coach Andy Jackson. Today and Saturday, Jackson’s young Gators hope to make it 8-for-8 as they play host to one of the 16 regionals being played around the nation over the next three days.
Florida, which is playing in its 19th consecutive NCAA tournament, opens play Friday against Marist College of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. In the opening match in Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex, Ivy League champion Columbia (16-5, 6-1 Ivy League) meets No. 22 Miami, Fla. (14-8, 9-2 ACC) at 1 p.m. The No. 10 Gators (17-8, 8-5 SEC) and the Red Foxes (12-3, 5-1 MAAC) meet at 4 p.m.
Friday’s two winners return Saturday at 4 p.m. to determine who gets to travel to College Station, Texas, and Texas A&M University, the site for both the NCAA men’s and women’s tennis championships later this month. The Gators are 10-1 at Linder Stadium, which also is the site for the first- and second-round women’s competition involving Florida, Florida State, Auburn and College of Charleston.
Florida is 34-18 all-time in NCAA action and 17-7 under Jackson and has dropped just one point in its seven first-round matches under his leadership. The Gators then won their second-round match, five times as host, to get to the Round of 16.
Florida has been off since April 25 when it dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 2 Mississippi in the SEC Tournament semifinals at Auburn, Ala., and Jackson senses his young team is ready to go.
“We’re excited to get underway,” he said. “Marist won its league and we know they present a good challenge for us. They’re playing with nothing to lose. We’re going to get their best shot, so we have to be ready.”
SEC Freshman of the Year Carlos Cueto of Spain, who had a 10-8 record at No. 1 singles and is ranked No. 23 nationally, leads the Gators. Sophomore Alex Lacroix of France owns an 18-6 record playing mostly at No. 2 and is ranked 33rd. Cueto and Lacroix were 21-2 as Florida’s No. 3 doubles team.
Junior Antoine Benneteau of France and freshman Joey Burkhardt of St. Augustine make up Florida’s No. 1 doubles team, which is ranked 16th nationally. Sophomores Jeff Dadamo of Tampa and Johnny Hamui of Wesley Chapel make up Florida’s No. 2 doubles team. Benneteau, Burkhardt, Hamui (6-2 this season) and Dadamo (with 20 victories) are Florida’s Nos. 3-6 singles players respectively.
Marist won the MAAC championship with a 5-2 victory over Fairfield. Loic Sessagesimi, a 5-7 junior co-captain from Blonay, Switzerland, who was the MAAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer, leads coach Tim Smith’s team. Sophomore Landon Greene and freshman Matt Himmelsbach each managed 26 victories during the regular season.
Sessagesimi plays No. 2 singles, while Greene and Himmelsbach play Nos. 5 and 6. Junior Christian Coley is Marist’s No. 1 singles player, sophomore Nicolas Pisecky of Lausanna, Switzerland, plays No. 3 and sophomore Marcus von Nordheim of Munich, Germany, plays No. 4.
The Red Foxes’ doubles teams feature Coley and sophomore Rhys Hobbs of Australia at No. 1, Sessagesimi and Himmelsbach at No. 2 and Greene and Pisecky at No. 3.