Florida Gators
California
Men’s Tennis Rolls Into Semifinals At USTA/ITA
Friday, February 21, 2003 | Men's Tennis
For the first time in the history of the Florida men's tennis program, the Gators have reached the semifinal round of the USTA/ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships as the sixth-ranked squad battled back to defeat fourth-ranked California, 4-2, Friday afternoon in Louisville. The Gators now await the nation's top-ranked team, as they will square off against UCLA on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. CT. With today's victory, UF has won five straight to run its record to 8-1 on the season, while California suffered its first loss in dropping to 6-1.
"This is a big turnaround for us and something we can be proud of," said UF head coach Andy Jackson. "We obviously played well in singles and could have done better in doubles, but I thought we beat one of the better teams in this tournament. We know it will be tough tomorrow against UCLA, but that is why we went to Illinois (ranked second) earlier this season to see what it will take. To be in the semifinals of a national championship event means it is a great time to be a Gator. We know how much it will take in the semifinals."
Jackson is no stranger to the semifinals after coaching Mississippi State to the round on three occasions (1994, 95, 98), however, UF reached the semifinals for the first time in its eight tournament appearances. Florida defeated 13th-ranked Southern California, 4-0, on Thursday to earn its spot in the quarterfinals, which was its previous deepest run in the tournament (2000, 2001).
After dropping the doubles point for only the second time this season, Florida got the four points it need in the two through five singles positions. Florida's Janne Holmia, ranked 29th, used a 6-3, 6-3 effort to defeat 31st-ranked Conor Niland at No. 2. Holmia is now 2-0 on the week and leads the squad with his 24-4 season record. Troy Hahn also used a straight set win on the number three court with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over California's Or Dekel. Hahn is joined by Olivier Levant as they both rank second on the team behind Holmia with 7-1 dual records after Levant took a 6-3, 6-1 decision over Steve Berke at No. 4. Matt Behrmann, ranked 117th, completed the list of UF winners with his 6-4, 6-2 victory over 95th-ranked Wayne Wong at the fifth position. In the doubles, Florida was defeated at the top two positions, however, Behrmann and Hahn (13th) teamed to defeat Niland and Mik Ledvonova.
In the 28-year history of the event, Florida has made eight appearances and owns an 8-15 record.
The USTA/ITA, which began in 1973, and is the ITA's longest-running event typically serves as an early season indicator as to who will claim the NCAA title in May. On eight occasions, the team that won the USTA/ITA title went on to win the NCAA Championship. There have been four times where the USTA/ITA runner-up went on to win the NCAAs
NCAA Men's Tennis
Florida 4, California 2
Doubles
No. 1 Steve Berke/Robert Kowalczyk (Cal) def. Hamid Mirzadeh/Chris McDonald (UF), 8-5
No. 2 Patrick Briaud/Balazs Veress (Cal) def. #37 Olivier Levant/Eleazar Magallan (UF), 8-6
No. 3 #13 Matt Behrmann/Troy Hahn (UF) def. Conor Niland/Mik Ledvonova (UF), 8-5
Singles
No. 1 Hamid Mirzadeh (UF) vs. Balazs Veress (Cal), DNF
No. 2 #29 Janne Holmia (UF) def. #31 Conor Niland (Cal), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 Troy Hahn (UF) def. Or Dekel (Cal), 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 #68 Olivier Levant (UF) def. Steve Berke (Cal), 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 #117 Matt Behrmann (UF) def. #95 Wayne Wong (Cal), 6-4, 6-2
No. 6 Mik Ledvonova (Cal) def. #T78 Eleazar Magallan (UF), 6-1, 6-3
Numbers preceding names indicate current national rankings
