Florida Gators
Duke
Men's Tennis Edges Duke, 4-3
Sunday, February 22, 2004 | Men's Tennis
The seventh-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team worked past sixth-ranked Duke in a big non-conference match on Sunday in Gainesville as the Gators rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-3 victory. With the win, the Gators improved to 6-2, while Duke slipped to 5-4.
"We were very excited to get the win over Duke because we feel like they are one of the top five teams in the nation," said UF head coach Andy Jackson. "We knew we had some advantages like playing at home and being one of the first teams to play Duke outdoors this season. We still had to take advantage of those things though. After seeing them in Seattle, we knew they had the best doubles point in the country. I though we played well in the doubles and didn't get down after they got it."
In less than an hour, Duke had a 1-0 lead when the Blue Devils grabbed the doubles point with 8-6 wins on all three courts. The clincher came at the top of the lineup when second-ranked Ludovic Walter and Jason Zimmerman outlasted Florida's Hamid Mirzadeh and Chris Brandi after things were tied at six each.
Peter Rodrigues had Duke up 2-0 before the Gators got on the board as he defeated UF's Stefan Tell on court five, 6-1, 6-2. Chris Brandi cut the lead in half though moments later when he scored a straight set 6-3, 6-2 win over Duke's Jonathan Stokke one court higher in the lineup.
Florida's 52nd-ranked Vladimir Obradovic tied things at two when he edged Duke's Jason Zimmerman on court three, 6-2, 7-6 (7) after trailing early on in the second set tie break, 3-0. Duke got to within one point of taking the match when Walter, ranked seventh in the nation, used a 7-6 (7), 6-3 decision over Florida's ninth-ranked Janne Holmia.
Florida's Martin Stiegwardt got one of the two wins Florida needed on the remaining courts when he took out Duke's Peter Shults (6-4, 4-6, 6-4). The match came down to the top court where Mirzadeh was leading Duke's Phillip King in the third set 4-2 before the set was evened at four. From there, Mirzadeh took control for the 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
UF will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 25 as the Gators travel to take on No. 34 Miami at 11 a.m. This match was originally scheduled for Feb. 15, however, the match was postponed due to inclement weather.
Florida Men's Tennis vs. Duke
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Singles
No. 24 Hamid Mirzadeh (UF) d. Phillip King (Duke), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 7 Ludovic Walter (Duke) d. No. 9 Janne Holmia (UF), 7-6 (7), 6-3
No. 52 Vladimir Obradovic (UF) d. Jason Zimmerman (Duke), 6-2, 7-6 (7)
Chris Brandi (UF) d. Jonathan Stokke (Duke), 6-3, 6-2
Peter Rodrigues (Duke) d. Stefan Tell (UF), 6-1, 6-2
Martin Stiegwardt (UF) d. Peter Shults (Duke), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles
No. 2 Walter/Zimmerman (Duke) d. Mirzadeh/Brandi (UF), 8-6
Stokke/King (Duke) d. No. 29 Obradovic/Johnson (UF), 8-6
Amritraj/Rodrigues (Duke) d. Holmia/Stiegwardt (UF), 8-6
