Florida Gators
Florida State
Men's Tennis Advances To NCAA Rnd. of 16
Sunday, May 11, 2003 | Men's Tennis
The University of Florida men's tennis team punched its ticket to the NCAA Round of 16 as the Gators battled Florida State to a 4-0 win in Sunday's second round match at Linder Stadium. Florida moved to 24-4 on the season and advanced to the Round of 16 for the 10th time in the last 13 seasons. On Saturday, May 17, Florida will travel to Athens, GA, to face the winner of today's Rice-Texas match, which is being played in Austin, TX.
“I like going to the Round of 16 knowing this team can still go forward and improve,” said UF head coach Andy Jackson. “I was not totally satisfied because I thought we had some guys who could have played better. I'm proud of the way our senior class gave us leadership. If we keep advancing and if we play for the title they are the ones who put us there.”
Florida moved to 21-12 all-time in NCAA play and went to 10-0 against in-state opponents during the Jackson era. Florida's 24 wins this season to date rank as the third highest amount in the history of the program (28, 2000; 25, 1975). Meanwhile, Florida State ended its season with a 15-11 record.
“This was a tight match,” said Florida State head coach Dwayne Hultquist. “I thought doubles was the key and it was a huge swing point. It was important and I'm not sure, but what happened probably carried over to the singles. Early in the season losing the doubles point would have meant more, but our guys were excited coming back out to play the singles. I though yesterday's match going so long had some effect on us today and Florida was much fresher.”
Florida's second shutout in as many NCAA tournament matches this season could be a sign of things to come as the only other time UF began the post season tournament in such fashion was the 2000 season with wins over Florida A&M and UAB. That season the Gators advanced to the semifinals marking the deepest run in school history.
The doubles point was a thriller with the point coming down to the outcome on court two. Florida cruised on court three as Matt Behrmann and Troy Hahn defeated Chris Westerhof and Jeff Groslimond, 8-3. Florida State controlled things at the top of the order when Alex Herrera and Romain Jurd took out Florida's 16th-ranked Chris McDonald and Hamid Mirzadeh, 8-5.
At that point, the Seminoles were on the verge of going up 1-0 when Mat Cloer and Rodrigo Laub had UF's Olivier Levant and Eleazar Magallan (No. 35) down 7-6 and were up 40-0. The Gators battled back and would later force a tie break where they again were forced to work out of a deficit. Trailing 5-3, the tandem reeled off four straight points to secure the win in one hour and thirty-seven minutes.
“Sometimes you come up to those points in a match and it goes your way,” Levant said. “I guess we had some luck today. It was a close match and we have a lot of experience in those, which helped us in this situation.”
In comparison, the singles match went much smoother for the Gators. Hahn made it a 2-0 match with his straight set win over FSU's Westerhof on court three (6-4, 6-2). The win came two minutes prior to that of Magallan's over Laub at the bottom of the lineup, which also came in two sets (6-4, 6-2). Levant came up with the clincher at the No. 4 spot with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Chip Webb.
“It's the NCAA tournament and we have to win now,” said Levant. “Teams know how to adjust their lineups to play against us. Florida State really did that well today. The pressure is on now.”
NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships
Second Round
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex, Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, May 11, 2003
Florida 4 def. Florida State 0
Doubles
1. Alex Herrera/Romain Jurd (FSU) def. Chris McDonald/Hamid Mirzadeh (16), Florida, 8-5
2. Olivier Levant/Eleazar Magallan (35), Florida def. Mat Cloer/Rodrigo Laub (FSU), 9-8 (5)
3. Matt Behrmann/Troy Hahn (41), Florida def. Chris Westerhof/Jeff Groslimond (FSU), 8-3
Singles
1. Hamid Mirzadeh (15), Florida vs. Mat Cloer (FSU), Susp.
2. Janne Holmia (6), Florida vs. Romain Jurd (FSU), Susp.
3. Troy Hahn, Florida def. Chris Westerhof (FSU), 6-4, 6-2
4. Olivier Levant (111), Florida def. Chip Webb (FSU), 6-1, 6-4
5. Matt Behrmann, Florida vs. Jeff Grislimond (FSU), Susp.
6. Eleazar Magallan, Florida def. Rodrigo Laub (FSU), 6-3, 6-2
END OF REPORT
