M-Tennis Takes Three of Five Singles Matches vs. Mississippi St. at the Gator Invitiational

Friday, September 30

Gainesville, FL

10:00 AM

Florida Gators

Gator Invitational

M-Tennis Takes Three of Five Singles Matches vs. Mississippi St. at the Gator Invitiational

Friday, September 30, 2005 | Men's Tennis

The University of Florida men's tennis team captured three of five singles matches against Mississippi State Friday afternoon during the second day of the Gator Invitational, while the Bulldogs took two of three doubles matches.

UF's Stefan Tell posted the first decision of the afternoon, needing just 59 minutes to claim a 6-0, 6-3 victory. Closing out the day was UF senior Vladimir Obradovic, who outlasted Philippe Frayssinoux in 2 hours and 28 minutes for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win. Also collecting a victory for the Gators was freshman Shaun Young, netted a tough 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ryan Farlow.

Action continues on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m., when Florida faces Miami in singles and doubles, while Mississippi State plays USF.

“Mississippi State is a top-25 team and played the majority of their guys, whereas we were missing some,” UF head coach Andy Jackson said. “Vlad (Obradovic) had a good win today. Overall, though, I wouldn't say this was a good day, but I wouldn't say it was a bad day, either. It's a long way until January and we will continue to make improvements.”

Senior Stefan Tell was the first Gator off the singles courts, claiming a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Eric Lim. Tell ripped off the opening eight games before Lim got on the board with a service break. But Tell broke right back and rode the early advantage en route to the 59-minute win.

The battle on court No. 1 was fierce, as UF senior Vladimir Obradovic and MSU's Philippe Frayssinoux matched each other stroke for stroke needing three sets before the Gator senior emerged with a hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory. In the deciding third set, Obradovic earned an important break in the fourth game and held to take a 4-1 lead. He then broke again, this time at love and headed to the baseline where he served out for the win.

Obradovic held to begin in the match, but the next four games were breaks and the set remained on-serve until Frayssinoux broke in the 11^th game and held to take the opening set. The two traded serves in the fifth and sixth games, with the rest of the match on-serve until Obradovic broke through in the 10^th game to take the second set and force a deciding third.

Redshirt freshman Shaun Young netted a tough 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ryan Farlow, using a break in the eighth game of the third set before serving out for the win in well over two hours. The first set followed the same pattern as the deciding third, only Farlow earned the late break to take the early one-set lead. There were four breaks during the initial stages of the second set and the set remained on-serve until Youg captured a break in the 12^th game to take the set and force a third.

UF's Chris Brandi and MSU's Ivan Bjelica opened their match each holding their initial serve, before Bjelica took control by winning the next five games to close out the first set 6-1. The second set was a different story, as Brandi found his stride and the set was on-serve through 12 games, needing a tiebreak to decide the set. Bjelica ripped off the first six points of the breaker en route to win the set and take the match 6-1, 7-6 (2).

Gator senior Ryan Sherry found himself trailing early against Pierre Mouillon, who opened with a break and took another for a 4-1 lead in the first. Sherry broke right back in the sixth game, but couldn't get another as Mouillon took the opening frame 6-4. The second set played out the same as the first, but Sherry couldn't break Mouillon's serve, as the Bulldog sophomore claimed the 6-4, 6-3 decision.