Thursday, May 25
Athens, GA
12:00 AM
Florida Gators
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at
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Individual NCAAs - Day Two
GATOR MEN'S TENNIS PLAYERS ADVANCE TO THIRD ROUND AT NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday, May 25, 2000 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. - University of Florida senior Justin O'Neal (Lima, Ohio) and junior Jeff Morrison (Huntington, W.V.) both won second round singles matches Thursday in the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Morrison, the defending NCAA singles champion and the tournament's top seed, rallied for a 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-3 win over Tennessee's 24th-ranked Mark Parsons Thursday morning. Morrison will meet Pepperdine's 28th-ranked Robert Kendrick in Friday's third round. Morrison improved to 10-0 in three-set matches this season, including 7-0 when losing the first set but winning the second set.
"In the third set you have to compete hard and play the smartest," Morrison said. "There are no easy matches left out here. I am happy to be in the next round."
Parsons took a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Morrison fought back, eventually saving four set points before forcing a tiebreaker, which Parsons won 7-2. Morrison broke Parsons' serve in the sixth game of the second set and went on to take the set 6-3. The two players held serve for the first six games of the final set before Morrison broke Parsons' serve for a 4-3 lead. Morrison then held serve and broke Parsons' serve again for the victory.
O'Neal, who is a 9-16 seed and is ranked 10th nationally, staged a dramatic comeback to beat Kentucky's 50th-ranked Johan Hesoun 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. O'Neal trailed 5-2 in the third set but won the final five games of the match, including three breaks of Hesoun's serve, to claim the victory. O'Neal fought off two match points while serving at 3-5 in the final set. O'Neal will face Auburn's 35th-ranked Stephen Huss, who upset VCU's second-ranked Daniel Andersson, in Friday's third round.
"I was just concentrating on getting the ball back in play and then I knew I could win," said O'Neal. "Any match could be my last and I am just trying to enjoy it. I happened to steal one today."
Morrison and junior Nathan Overholser (Okemos, Mich.) were upset in the first round of the 32-team doubles draw. Morrison and Overholser, the tournament's No. 1-seeded team, lost to Fresno State's 21st-ranked team of Rob Cheyne and Andy Scorteanu 7-5, 6-4 in a match that had to be completed inside the Lindsey Hopkins Courts due to rain. The final two games of the match were played indoors.
Morrison is trying to become the first back-to-back champion since Mikael Pernfors in 1984 and 1985. O'Neal is playing in the field for the fourth straight year. The tournament concludes this Sunday, May 28 with the singles and doubles finals. Two rounds of singles and one round of doubles will be played on Friday, while one round of singles and two rounds of doubles will take place on Saturday.
NCAA Individual Championships - Thursday, May 25, 2000
Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Athens, Ga.
UF Results Only
Second Round Singles
Jeff Morrison (UF) d. Mark Parsons (Tennessee) 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-3
Justin O'Neal (UF) d. Johan Hesoun (Kentucky) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
First Round Doubles
Rob Cheyne-Andy Scorteanu (Fresno State) d. Jeff Morrison-Nathan Overholser (UF) 7-5, 6-4
Morrison, the defending NCAA singles champion and the tournament's top seed, rallied for a 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-3 win over Tennessee's 24th-ranked Mark Parsons Thursday morning. Morrison will meet Pepperdine's 28th-ranked Robert Kendrick in Friday's third round. Morrison improved to 10-0 in three-set matches this season, including 7-0 when losing the first set but winning the second set.
"In the third set you have to compete hard and play the smartest," Morrison said. "There are no easy matches left out here. I am happy to be in the next round."
Parsons took a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Morrison fought back, eventually saving four set points before forcing a tiebreaker, which Parsons won 7-2. Morrison broke Parsons' serve in the sixth game of the second set and went on to take the set 6-3. The two players held serve for the first six games of the final set before Morrison broke Parsons' serve for a 4-3 lead. Morrison then held serve and broke Parsons' serve again for the victory.
O'Neal, who is a 9-16 seed and is ranked 10th nationally, staged a dramatic comeback to beat Kentucky's 50th-ranked Johan Hesoun 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. O'Neal trailed 5-2 in the third set but won the final five games of the match, including three breaks of Hesoun's serve, to claim the victory. O'Neal fought off two match points while serving at 3-5 in the final set. O'Neal will face Auburn's 35th-ranked Stephen Huss, who upset VCU's second-ranked Daniel Andersson, in Friday's third round.
"I was just concentrating on getting the ball back in play and then I knew I could win," said O'Neal. "Any match could be my last and I am just trying to enjoy it. I happened to steal one today."
Morrison and junior Nathan Overholser (Okemos, Mich.) were upset in the first round of the 32-team doubles draw. Morrison and Overholser, the tournament's No. 1-seeded team, lost to Fresno State's 21st-ranked team of Rob Cheyne and Andy Scorteanu 7-5, 6-4 in a match that had to be completed inside the Lindsey Hopkins Courts due to rain. The final two games of the match were played indoors.
Morrison is trying to become the first back-to-back champion since Mikael Pernfors in 1984 and 1985. O'Neal is playing in the field for the fourth straight year. The tournament concludes this Sunday, May 28 with the singles and doubles finals. Two rounds of singles and one round of doubles will be played on Friday, while one round of singles and two rounds of doubles will take place on Saturday.
NCAA Individual Championships - Thursday, May 25, 2000
Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Athens, Ga.
UF Results Only
Second Round Singles
Jeff Morrison (UF) d. Mark Parsons (Tennessee) 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-3
Justin O'Neal (UF) d. Johan Hesoun (Kentucky) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
First Round Doubles
Rob Cheyne-Andy Scorteanu (Fresno State) d. Jeff Morrison-Nathan Overholser (UF) 7-5, 6-4
Players Mentioned
One-on-One with Coach Steinberg 3-7-24
Thursday, March 07
Bryan Shelton Postmatch 2-2-23
Saturday, February 04
Jonah Braswell Postmatch 2-2-23
Saturday, February 04
NCAA: Men's Tennis Postmatch 5-13-22
Friday, May 13
