With its doubles teams leading the way, the 10th-ranked Florida Gators men’s tennis team defeated No. 34 Louisiana State, 5-2, Friday night at Linder Stadium.
“I thought we played a nice match,” Florida head coach Andy Jackson said. “We are starting to put more together as the team gets healthier. I’m really looking forward to the most important part of the season, the postseason.”
The Gators (13-6 overall, 4-3 SEC) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point, and won three of the first four singles matches to clinch the victory.
Sophomore Alex Lacroix of France and freshman Carlos Cueto of Spain won their 17th straight match since a loss on Jan. 16, needing just 41 minutes to dispose James Cluskey and Jonathan Tragardh, 8-4. in 41 minutes.
The Gators then clinched the doubles point when their No. 2 team of sophomores Jeff Dadamo and Johnny Hamui won 8-5 over Sebastian Carlsson and Julien Gauthier. The 17th-ranked pair of freshman Joey Burkhardt and redshirt junior Antoine Benneteau of France then stunned the eighth-ranked team of Neal Skupski and Michael Venus, 8-4, to complete the doubles sweep.
It was Lacroix, ranked No. 28 nationally, who secured the match-clinching point by downing James Cluskey, 6-1, 7-6, at No. 2 singles.
That victory came after Dadamo improved to 14-4 on the season with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over LSU’s Mark Bowtell in a No. 6 singles match that needed just 54 minutes to complete. Benneteau put Florida up 3-0 when he rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the first set to beat Carlsson, 7-5, 6-0, in the No. 3 singles match.
Cueto, ranked 27th in the country, battled valiantly but lost to No. 6 Venus, 6-4, 6-2, to help LSU cut into the lead at 3-1. Later, Hamui earned a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Gauthier, at No. 5 singles.
The Gators will play their final regular-season home match Sunday against Arkansas at 1 p.m.
MEN’S TENNIS
FLORIDA 5, LOUISIANA STATE 2
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville
DOUBLES
1. (17) Antoine Benneteau/Joey Burkhardt (UF) def. (8) Neal Skupski/Michael Venus, 8-4.
2. Jeff Dadamo/Johnny Hamui (UF) def. Sebastian Carlsson/Julien Gauthier, 8-5.
3. Carlos Cueto/Alex Lacroix (UF) def. James Cluskey/Jonathan Tragardh, 8-4.
Florida wins doubles point, 3-0.
SINGLES
1. (6) Michael Venus (LSU) def. (27) Carlos Cueto, 6-4, 6-2.
2. (28) Alex Lacroix (UF) def. James Cluskey, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).
3. Antoine Benneteau (UF) def. Sebastian Carlsson, 7-5, 6-0.
4. Neal Skupski (LSU) def. Joey Burkhardt, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
5. Johnny Hamui (UF) def. Julien Gauthier, 7-5, 6-2.
6. Jeff Dadamo (UF) def. Mark Bowtell, 6-3, 6-0.
Order of Finish: Doubles – 3, 2, 1. Singles – 6, 3, 1, 2, 5, 4.