Saturday, May 13
Gainesville, Fla.
4:00 PM
Florida Gators
4
vs
0
Georgia Tech
The UF men's tennis team celebrates after sweeping the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (Photo: Tim Casey / UAA Communications)
Gators Punch Ticket to Athens with Sweep of Georgia Tech
Saturday, May 13, 2017 | Men's Tennis
No. 15 seed Florida will face No. 2 seed Virginia in the round of 16.
Box Score (PDF) | Bracket
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 15 seed Florida Gators took down the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in its second consecutive sweep in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With this win, the Gators advance to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga., where they will face No. 2 seed Virginia.
Florida earned its 31st sweep in an NCAA Tournament match, and its tenth of the season. The Gators advance to the round of 16 for the 16th time in program history, and will take on Virginia on Thursday, May 18th at 9:00 a.m. (EST).
In doubles play, all three matches stayed tight through the beginning. The Gators were able to pull ahead on all courts, leading the Yellow Jackets 5-3 on Courts 1 and 2, and 5-4 on Court 3.
Seniors Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin were able to pull out the first win on Court 2, defeating Li/Fiegel 6-3 on an ace from Orkin. The No. 2 team of Alfredo Perez and Johannes Ingildsen clinched the doubles point for Florida, winning 6-3 on Court 1 on a double fault from Georgia Tech.
In singles play, Florida started by winning five of the six first sets, with Perez and Lipman's first sets decided in tiebreaks. From there, Orkin was the first to finish, taking down Andrew Li 6-2, 6-2 to give the Gators a 2-0 lead.
Chase Perez-Blanco was the next to finish, earning the third team point for Florida with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Carlos Benito. Ingildsen clinched the match for the Gators, winning the last four games in the second set to finish the match 6-1, 7-5.
Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Bryan Shelton
"I think we played a really hard-fought match. I have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech, and obviously Kenny Thorne, their head coach, and his group. I felt like they came ready to play today. They had a great season, so I just want to congratulate them on a great year and a great tournament. I was really proud of our guys, I felt like we were really well prepared, our guys have been working really hard, especially these last couple weeks to prepare for this, and something that we really wanted to do was move on in the tournament and advance to Athens to the final sixteen. Wanting to do something and doing the things that are necessary to make it happen are two different things, and our guys did the things that they needed to do to be successful. I'm really proud of them, I feel like we're playing our best tennis of the year right now."
On the challenge and opportunity of taking on Virginia next…
"I think those two words are synonymous, challenge but opportunity, it's just how you view it. For us, we want the show to go on. Our guys are excited and playing really well, so I think it's a great opportunity. We've seen that team a couple times, we saw them at the NCAA Tournament last year in the final eight match, saw them at their home courts earlier this season, so we know them very well and we respect them. They're a quality team with a lot of good players, so I know it's going to be a tough match, but I think if we go out there and put our best foot forward then we're going to win."
Senior Elliott Orkin
On what advancing means to him as a senior…
"Whether you're a freshman or a senior it's nice to move on to the final sixteen and get to the finals site with all the best teams in the country. Especially with it being my last season, of course I wanted to make it to Athens this year, and I was happy to be able to contribute to the team today by getting a point on the board in both singles and doubles. Even though it was my last match here, it wasn't about me today, it was about the team advancing and we got the job done, so its huge for us."
On his last four years at UF…
"These last four years have been more than I can really explain. With Coach Shelton giving me the opportunity to come here four years ago, it was really the best decision of my life to come here. I've grown so much as a player and a person. It's been a great four years and I'm happy the ride is still continuing, and our journey is still ahead of us and our goals are still ahead of us."
Junior Chase Perez-Blanco
On his successful match…
It was a tough match, he [Carlos Benito] is a great player. He'll make a lot of balls, so you know going in there's going to be a lot of long rallies. My mindset was move him, keep fighting, don't let him off the hook and try to take advantage when I could, and I think I did a good job of that."
Match Notes
Florida 4, Georgia Tech 0
NCAA Tournament | Second Round
Saturday, May 13, 2017 | 5:35 PM
Gainesville, Fla. | Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 1)
1. #2 Ingildsen/Perez (UF) def. #32 Eubanks/Benito (GT), 6-3*
2. Lipman/Orkin (UF) def. Li/Fiegel (GT), 6-3
3. Wardell/Perez-Blanco (UF) vs. Divar/D. Yun (GT), 5-4
Singles (Order of finish: 2, 3, 5)
1. #8 Alfredo Perez (UF) vs. #7 Christopher Eubanks (GT), 6-7, 0-5
2. #85 Elliott Orkin (UF) def. #92 Andrew Li (GT), 6-2, 6-2
3. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 6-4, 6-1
4. Maxx Lipman (UF) vs. Carlos Divar (GT), 7-6, 2-0
5. #123 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Daniel Yun (GT), 6-1, 7-5*
6. McClain Kessler (UF) vs. Christopher Yun (GT) 7-5, 3-4
* Clinched victory
Up Next for the Gators
Florida will head to the 2017 championship site in Athens, Ga. for the round of 16, where they will face the No. 2 seed Virginia. The match will take place on Thursday, May 18th at 9:00 a.m. (EST)
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Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 15 seed Florida Gators took down the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in its second consecutive sweep in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With this win, the Gators advance to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga., where they will face No. 2 seed Virginia.
Florida earned its 31st sweep in an NCAA Tournament match, and its tenth of the season. The Gators advance to the round of 16 for the 16th time in program history, and will take on Virginia on Thursday, May 18th at 9:00 a.m. (EST).
In doubles play, all three matches stayed tight through the beginning. The Gators were able to pull ahead on all courts, leading the Yellow Jackets 5-3 on Courts 1 and 2, and 5-4 on Court 3.
Seniors Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin were able to pull out the first win on Court 2, defeating Li/Fiegel 6-3 on an ace from Orkin. The No. 2 team of Alfredo Perez and Johannes Ingildsen clinched the doubles point for Florida, winning 6-3 on Court 1 on a double fault from Georgia Tech.
In singles play, Florida started by winning five of the six first sets, with Perez and Lipman's first sets decided in tiebreaks. From there, Orkin was the first to finish, taking down Andrew Li 6-2, 6-2 to give the Gators a 2-0 lead.
Chase Perez-Blanco was the next to finish, earning the third team point for Florida with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Carlos Benito. Ingildsen clinched the match for the Gators, winning the last four games in the second set to finish the match 6-1, 7-5.
Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Bryan Shelton
"I think we played a really hard-fought match. I have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech, and obviously Kenny Thorne, their head coach, and his group. I felt like they came ready to play today. They had a great season, so I just want to congratulate them on a great year and a great tournament. I was really proud of our guys, I felt like we were really well prepared, our guys have been working really hard, especially these last couple weeks to prepare for this, and something that we really wanted to do was move on in the tournament and advance to Athens to the final sixteen. Wanting to do something and doing the things that are necessary to make it happen are two different things, and our guys did the things that they needed to do to be successful. I'm really proud of them, I feel like we're playing our best tennis of the year right now."
On the challenge and opportunity of taking on Virginia next…
"I think those two words are synonymous, challenge but opportunity, it's just how you view it. For us, we want the show to go on. Our guys are excited and playing really well, so I think it's a great opportunity. We've seen that team a couple times, we saw them at the NCAA Tournament last year in the final eight match, saw them at their home courts earlier this season, so we know them very well and we respect them. They're a quality team with a lot of good players, so I know it's going to be a tough match, but I think if we go out there and put our best foot forward then we're going to win."
Senior Elliott Orkin
On what advancing means to him as a senior…
"Whether you're a freshman or a senior it's nice to move on to the final sixteen and get to the finals site with all the best teams in the country. Especially with it being my last season, of course I wanted to make it to Athens this year, and I was happy to be able to contribute to the team today by getting a point on the board in both singles and doubles. Even though it was my last match here, it wasn't about me today, it was about the team advancing and we got the job done, so its huge for us."
On his last four years at UF…
"These last four years have been more than I can really explain. With Coach Shelton giving me the opportunity to come here four years ago, it was really the best decision of my life to come here. I've grown so much as a player and a person. It's been a great four years and I'm happy the ride is still continuing, and our journey is still ahead of us and our goals are still ahead of us."
Junior Chase Perez-Blanco
On his successful match…
It was a tough match, he [Carlos Benito] is a great player. He'll make a lot of balls, so you know going in there's going to be a lot of long rallies. My mindset was move him, keep fighting, don't let him off the hook and try to take advantage when I could, and I think I did a good job of that."
Match Notes
- Florida's record over Georgia Tech improves to 34-12.
- UF's record in the second round of the NCAA Tournament improves to 16-1.
- Last season the Gators won both its first and second round matches 4-0, advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they lost to eventual champion Virginia.
- This was UF's 31st sweep in an NCAA Tournament match and its tenth of the season.
- Florida is one of only three SEC teams remaining in the tournament. Georgia and Texas A&M will also continue their runs in Athens.
- Orkin earned both a singles and doubles win in his final career home match.
- Ingildsen clinched his fourth match for the Gators with his win in the No. 5 position.
Florida 4, Georgia Tech 0
NCAA Tournament | Second Round
Saturday, May 13, 2017 | 5:35 PM
Gainesville, Fla. | Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Doubles (Order of finish: 2, 1)
1. #2 Ingildsen/Perez (UF) def. #32 Eubanks/Benito (GT), 6-3*
2. Lipman/Orkin (UF) def. Li/Fiegel (GT), 6-3
3. Wardell/Perez-Blanco (UF) vs. Divar/D. Yun (GT), 5-4
Singles (Order of finish: 2, 3, 5)
1. #8 Alfredo Perez (UF) vs. #7 Christopher Eubanks (GT), 6-7, 0-5
2. #85 Elliott Orkin (UF) def. #92 Andrew Li (GT), 6-2, 6-2
3. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 6-4, 6-1
4. Maxx Lipman (UF) vs. Carlos Divar (GT), 7-6, 2-0
5. #123 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Daniel Yun (GT), 6-1, 7-5*
6. McClain Kessler (UF) vs. Christopher Yun (GT) 7-5, 3-4
* Clinched victory
Up Next for the Gators
Florida will head to the 2017 championship site in Athens, Ga. for the round of 16, where they will face the No. 2 seed Virginia. The match will take place on Thursday, May 18th at 9:00 a.m. (EST)
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
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