No. 8 Men?s Tennis Snaps Losing Skid with Decisive 6-1 Win at No. 16 Arkansas

Friday, March 24, 2006 | Men's Tennis

The No. 8-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team put a halt to its three-match losing streak with a huge 6-1 win over the 16^th-ranked University of Arkansas Razorbacks Friday at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Gators (9-5, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) improved to 16-1 all-time against the Razorbacks (11-6, 2-3 SEC) and have won the last 14 regular season meetings. UA dropped its second-straight match after winning three straight.

“The team really needed to play well today, and I thought they did a good job of that,” UF head coach Andy Jackson said. “This was a much needed win for us. Playing indoors against the 16^th-ranked team in the country is a daunting task, but I thought we played with a lot of confidence out there today.”

UF got off to a fast start in doubles action, claiming courts 2 and 3 by 8-5 counts. Senior Chris Brandi (Boca Raton, Fla.) and sophomore Greg Ouelette (Ormond Beach, Fla.) teamed up to dispose of Austin King and Colin Mascall at the No. 3 position to get things started, while the Florida duo of senior Vladmir Obradovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and junior Janne Holmia (Tampere, Finland) won on court No. 2 against UA's Adrians Zguns and Blake Strode to secure the doubles point for the Gators.

In singles play, the Gators captured victories on courts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Obradovic, who is currently ranked No. 95 individually by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, played the No. 1 position for the first time in his career and came away with a 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (5), upset win over 13^th-ranked Zguns of Arkansas. At the No. 4 slot, No. 38-ranked Nestor Briceno (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) clinched the victory for the Gators with a 7-5, 6-3, victory over No. 102 Strode.

Carrying over the momentum from the doubles point, No. 100-ranked Stefan Tell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) extended the UF lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-1, win in straight sets over Michael Jung in No. 6 singles. Brandi also won in straight sets over Mascall in the No. 5 position by a final count of 6-4, 6-1. Ouelette, who holds an individual ranking of No. 32, defeated No. 49 Matt Roberts 6-0, 1-6, 6-2, for UF's final point.

“This win gives us a lot to build on, but we don't have much time to build on it with another top-25 opponent in LSU on the road Sunday,” Jackson noted.

The Gators will continue their two-match road trip with a date at No. 19 LSU Sunday, March 26. First serve from the W. T. Robinson Tennis Stadium is set for 2 p.m. EST in Baton Rouge, La. Live stats will be provided online at www.lsusports.net.

#8 Florida 6, #16 Arkansas 1