Florida Gators
Kentucky
Men?s Tennis Gives Jackson 50th Win With 5-2 Decision At UK
Sunday, March 7, 2004 | Men's Tennis
The third-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team bounced back from a SEC opening loss on Friday as the Gators defeated No. 15 Kentucky, 5-2, in Lexington on Sunday afternoon. The win improved the Gators to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the league as it also gave third-year UF head coach Andy Jackson his 50th win while in Gainesville (50-15). With the loss, the Wildcats fell to 6-4 overall and 1-1in the conference.
Through 65 matches at UF, Jackson's record stands at 50-15 (.769) record. Overall, Jackson owns a 337-166 (.669) record after starting his career at Mississippi State as the head women's tennis coach in 1984. Six men's tennis head coaches have won 50-or-more matches. Jackson is the fourth fastest coach in Florida history to do so. D.K. (Dutch) Stanley, who was Florida's first coach (1932-40), reached 50 wins in 59 matches. Bill Potter (1952-1977) reached 50 in his 62nd match and Harry Fogelman (1949-51) was the third fastest to do so as he took one less than Jackson.
Jackson, a Frankfurt, Ky., native got his 50th win with the Gator program against his alma mater as he played for current UK coach Dennis Emery from 1982-1984.
UF shifted the doubles lineup and came away with a hard fought point. Trey Johnson and Vladimir Obradovic (No. 37) played on the top court for the first time this season as the duo dropped an 8-2 decision to Rahim Esmail and Jesse Witten. Florida's Janne Holmia and Martin Stiegwardt kept UF in it as the took an 8-4 win over Evan Austin and Alex Hume on court three. With the issue in doubt, UF's Chris Brandi and Stefan Tell came up with the clincher as they outlasted Nate Emge and Tigran Martirosyan on court two, 9-8 (4).
In the singles, Kentucky's 14th-ranked Jesse Witten evened things when he posted a straight set 6-0, 6-2 win over Holmia (No. 45) who was playing at the top of the lineup for only the second time in his collegiate career.
UF got to within one point of taking the match when Martin Stiegwardt took a 6-2, 6-2, win over Alex Hume at the bottom of the lineup and Chris Brandi defeated Rahim Esmail, 6-3, 6-2 two spots higher up in the order.
Matirosyan (No. 56) got Kentucky to within one with a 7-6, 6-1 on court three against Stefan Tell leaving UF needing a win on one of the two remaining courts where Obradovic and Ryan Sherry both took their UK opponents to third sets. The Gators got wins on both courts with Sherry taking care of matters first with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Emge on court five. The win marked Sherry's fifth in six dual matches this season. With the issue no longer in doubt, Obradovic, who had not been in a dual match that needed to go to a third set in any of his seven prior contests, came away with a 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 victory against Austin.
Florida ends a three game road swing at No. 37 South Florida on Wednesday, March 10 at 1 p.m. The Gators will have next weekend off before returning Gainesville and SEC play against No. 35 Auburn on Friday, March 19 at 5 p.m.
Florida Men's Tennis at Vanderbilt
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Doubles:
1. No. 30 Esmail/Witten (UK) def. No. 37 Johnson/Obradovic (UF), 8-2
2. Brandi/Tell (UF) def. Emge/Martirosyan (UK), 9-8 (4)
3. Holmia/Stiegwardt (UF) def. Austin/Hume (UK), 8-4
Order of Finish: 1,3,2*
Singles:
Order of finish: 1, 6, 4, 3, 5**, 2
