Florida Gators
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Mississippi State
Men's Tennis Sweeps Mississippi State, 7-0
Sunday, March 2, 2003 | Men's Tennis
After coaching at Mississippi State for 17 seasons prior to coming to Gainesville, Florida head men's tennis coach Andy Jackson made his first trip back to Starkville, MS, on Sunday afternoon as his Gators defeated the 36th-ranked Bulldogs, 7-0. With the win, UF improved its record to 11-2 and went to 2-0 in Southeastern Conference play, while Mississippi State fell to 4-6 on the season and 0-2 in the league.
The sweep over a SEC opponent during the regular season was the first such for the Gators since downing Vanderbilt on April 16, 2000 (7-0) in Nashville. The win also marked the sixth time in the last eight meetings with the Bulldogs that UF came away with a victory.
Jackson mentored the Lady Bulldogs from 1985-89 and led the Bulldogs from 1989-2001. He also guided State's men to 10 NCAA round of 16 appearances and two national semifinals (1994 and 1998). With the win, Jackson is 2-0 all-time against his former school. A season ago, the Bulldogs, ranked 13th at the time, traveled to Gainesville where they fell to the Gators, 4-3.
Florida swept the doubles matches to come away with the point, which is something it has done in all but two matches this season. The Gators were tested on courts one and two, but managed to edge the Bulldogs in both. At the top spot, Florida's Chris McDonald and Hamid Mirzadeh defeated Romain Ambert and Rene-Charles Combette, 9-8 (4). The win marked the third straight for the Florida duo, matching their longest win streak of the season. Florida's 41st-ranked tandem of Olivier Levant and Eleazar Magallan battled Florent Girod and Jerome Le Belicard at the No. 2 position before coming away with a 9-7 win that clinched the point for UF.
The singles matches were all tight except for on the six court where senior Eleazar Magallan made it a 2-0 lead for UF with his win. Magallan defeated Matt Armstrong in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Freshman Janne Holmia put Florida within one point of securing the match as his was the only other straight set victory of the day at the two position against Jerome Le Belicard, 7-5, 6-4. Senior Troy Hahn ensured the win with his 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Rene-Charles Combette at No. 3. Mirzadeh and senior Matt Behrmann also added points to the Florida column with their wins. Behrmann defeated Florent Girod on court five with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 effort. Mirzadeh claimed his second straight win over a higher-ranked opponent at the No. 1 position as he beat out 55th-ranked Romain Ambert, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Senior Olivier Levant rounded out the scoring as he defeated Max Fomine 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to give UF the sweep.
Florida will return to action on Friday, March 7 as the Gators begin a four-match home stand, which begins with Arkansas. The match will begin at 2 p.m. and be held at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville.
NCAA Men's Tennis
Florida 7, Mississippi State 0
Doubles
No. 1 Hamid Mirzadeh/Chris McDonald (UF) def. Romain Ambert/Rene Charles-Combette (MSU), 9-8 (4)
No. 2 #41 Olivier Levant/Eleazar Magallan def. Florent Girod/Jereme Le Belicard (MSU), 9-7
No. 3 #32 Matt Behrmann/Troy Hahn (UF) def. Max Fomine/Michael Hailey (MSU), 8-4
Singles
No. 1 #92 Hamid Mirzadeh (UF) vs. #55 Romain Ambert (MSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
No. 2 #12 Janne Holmia (UF) def. Jerome Le Belicard (MSU), 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 Troy Hahn (UF) def. Rene-Charles Combette (MSU), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1
No. 4 #110 Olivier Levant (UF) def. Max Fomine (MSU), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4
No. 5 Matt Behrmann (UF) def. Florent Girod (MSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
No. 6 Eleazar Magallan (UF) def. Matt Armstrong (MSU), 6-2, 6-2
Numbers preceding names indicate current national rankings
