The 10th-ranked University of Florida men’s tennis team topped Marist College, 4-0, in first round NCAA Tournament action Friday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The victory sets up a second-round showdown between the Gators and the University of Miami (Fla.) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, also hosted by UF.
The Gators nabbed the doubles point in 28 minutes as the 16th-ranked duo of Antoine Benneteau and Joey Burkhardt earned an 8-1 victory on court one, followed moments later by Jeff Dadamo and Johnny Hamui at 8-0 on court two. When doubles play was suspended, Carlos Cueto and Alex Lacroix held a 7-0 edge in third doubles.
With the 1-0 edge, UF continued to dominate, clinching the match less than an hour after singles play opened. Cueto, ranked 23rd in the nation, was the first to earn a point, closing out Christian Coley at the No. 1 position 6-1, 6-0 in 54 minutes. Dadamo wrapped up sixth singles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Matt Himmelsbach, and the clincher came from Benneteau, who finished off Nicolas Pisecky 6-0, 6-0 in 58 minutes. Per NCAA Tournament rules, play was suspended once the deciding point was scored.
The winner of Saturday’s meeting with Miami earns a spot in the Round of 16, hosted by Texas A&M on May 14 in College Station, Texas.
Photo Gallery: UF Men’s Tennis vs. Marist, NCAA 1st round, 5/8/09
DIRECTORY OF GATOR COUNTRY PHOTO GALLERIES