Three Florida tennis singles players advanced into the quarterfinals Saturday at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships at the Linder Stadium/Ring Tennis Complex. Overall, Gator players went a perfect 9-0 in singles action on Saturday.
“To go perfect in singles over a full day at this level doesn’t happen very often,” Florida coach Andy Jackson said. “It was good for us to recover from a first day that we felt could have been better.”
Freshman Andrew Butz and sophomores Sekou Bangoura Jr. and Bob van Overbeek each posted a pair of singles wins. All of their quarterfinal matches will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.
Florida is the only school in the event to send three players into the singles quarterfinals in spite of the absence of ninth-ranked senior Alexandre Lacroix from the singles draw. Lacroix has already qualified for November’s USTA/ITA National Collegiate Indoor Championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., and competed in doubles only this weekend.
Butz posted his second win over a seeded and nationally-ranked player in as many days, downing Georgia’s Drake Bernstein, 6-3, 6-4, to earn his quarterfinal spot.
The Gators also had a positive showing in the consolation round, as freshman Michael Alford, junior Nassim Slilam and sophomore Billy Federhofer each won their respective matches in straight sets, including a double-bagel for Federhofer over Mercer’s Mark Worsham. Lacroix and Slilam’s doubles run came to an end in the quarterfinals as the UF duo fought off three match points before falling, 8-6.
USTA/ITA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Linder Stadium/Ring Tennis Complex / Gainesville, Fla. / Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010 / Florida results
SINGLES
Round of 32
(111) Sekou Bangoura Jr. (UF) def. Jordan Kelly-Houston (FSU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2; Andrew Butz (UF) def. Federico Sabogal (USF), 6-4, 6-1; (105) Bob van Overbeek (UF) def. Waylon Chin (Miami), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Round of 16
(111) Sekou Bangoura Jr. def. (UF) Magin Ortiga (GT), 6-4, 6-3; Andrew Butz (UF) def. (76) Drake Bernstein (UGA), 6-3, 6-4; (105) Bob van Overbeek (UF) def. Fernando Banos Lopez (JU), 6-1, 2-6, 7-5.
Consolation
Michael Alford (UF) def. Gabriel Flores (Miami), 7-5, 6-4; Billy Federhofer (UF) def. Mark Worsham (Mercer), 6-0, 6-0; Nassim Slilam (UF) def. Evandro Rosindo (Mercer), 6-0, 6-3.
DOUBLES
Quarterfinals
Sadio Doumbia/Ignacio Taboada (UGA) def. (20) Alexandre Lacroix/Nassim Slilam (UF), 8-6.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
SINGLES
Quarterfinals, 10 a.m.
(111) Sekou Bangoura Jr. (UF) vs. (4) Guillermo Gomez (GT); Andrew Butz (UF) vs. (43) Clint Bowles (FSU); (105) Bob van Overbeek (UF) vs. Dusan Miljevic (Georgia Tech).