Florida Gators
Alabama
Men?s Tennis Sinks The Tide, 5-2
Saturday, March 29, 2003 | Men's Tennis
The second-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team returned to its winning ways on Friday afternoon as it defeated No. 16 Alabama on the varsity courts in Tuscaloosa, 5-2. With the win, the Gators moved to 16-3 overall and remained undefeated in the SEC with a 7-0 conference mark. Alabama lost its fourth straight in falling to 13-6 on the year and 2-5 in the league.
Friday's match also marked a meeting between UF head coach Andy Jackson and Alabama's Billy Pate. Jackson, who served as the head coach at Mississippi State prior to coming to Gainesville, mentored Pate who spent his collegiate playing days in Starkville.
Florida grabbed a 1-0 lead as the Gators earned the doubles point for the sixteenth time this season. In doubles play, Alabama was up 7-6 on courts one and three with a good shot at winning the doubles point. Florida, however, withstood the challenge, winning 9-7 on court two and 9-8 on court three. On court one Chris McDonald and Hamid Mirzadeh downed Maxim Belski and Geoff Hiscox, 9-7, to sweep the doubles. The momentum from the doubles comeback win propelled Florida to win the first set in five of the six singles matches, and the Gators never looked back.
In the singles matches, Alabama evened things when 91st-ranked Chris Gostek defeated Florida's Troy Hahn on court three (6-3, 6-0). Mirzadeh, who moved up to No. 28 in this week's edition of the ITA polls, put UF on top for good with his win on the number one court over Belski (6-3, 6-3). Matt Behrmann pulled the Gators to within one point of taking the match with his win on six over Michael Ray Pallares (6-3, 6-4). Olivier Levant clinched it with his win on court four over Hiscox (6-4, 7-5).
Alabama posted wins on two of the singles courts as the Gators have now outscored SEC opponents this season, 40-9.
UF returns to the courts and stays in Alabama as the Gators face 29th-ranked Auburn on Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m.
No. 2 Florida 5, No. 16 Alabama 2
Doubles
1. Mirzadeh/Chris McDonald (FLA) d. Belski/Hiscox (UA) 9-7
2. Levant/Maggallan (FLA) d. Mitchell/ Bradley Friedman (UA) 8-5
3. Behrmann/Hahn(FLA) d. William Boyles/Gostek (UA) 9-8
Singles
1. Hamid Mirzadeh (FLA, #28) d. Maxim Belski (UA, #75) 6-3, 6-3
2. Janne Holmia (FLA, #5) d. Stephen Mitchell (UA) 6-2, 7-6
3. Chris Gostek (UA,#91) d. Troy Hahn (FLA) 6-3, 6-0
4. Olivier Levant (FLA, #78) d. Geoff Hiscox (UA) 6-4, 7-5
5. Christian Brodersen (UA) d. Eleazar Magallan (FLA, #107) 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
6. Matt Behrmann (FLA) d. Michael Ray Pallares (UA) 6-3, 6-4
