Men's Tennis Hosts Opening Weekend At Linder Stadium
Thursday, January 22, 2009 | Men's Tennis
The 10th ranked University of Florida men's tennis team kicks off its dual match season with two home matches at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators take on No. 69 Furman on Friday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. and host seventh-ranked Baylor University on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
“We have a team of freshmen and sophomores, with one junior who just made his NCAA debut, so we have to be ready to play on Friday,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “I am happy that we will be playing such a talented team in Baylor on Sunday to prepare us for the event next weekend and then the Indoor Championships down the road.”
Freshman Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) is the highest-ranked Gator on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason poll at No. 63, while sophomore Tyler Hochwalt (Scottsdale, Ariz.) ranks 66th and freshman Carlos Cueto (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) is on the poll at No. 87.
The 2008-09 squad is coming off an impressive showing at the SEC Coaches' Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. last weekend, led by a trio of newcomers. Redshirt junior Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Billancourt,France) and true freshman Burkhardt teamed up in the doubles draw to defeat the top-ranked doubles team in the nation, Berg/ten Berge of Ole Miss (8-6), in the Round of 8. Fellow freshman Cueto advanced to the finals of the event before falling to J.P. Smith of Tennessee (1-6, 6-3, 10-6). Along the way, he defeated No. 89 Bram ten Berge (Ole Miss) and the second-ranked singles player Michael Venus of LSU.
Florida and Furman share a long history, with their first dual match taking place in 1940, the Gators' first season in program history. Since then, UF has faced Furman 24 times, with the Gators taking home a win in every contest.
As the No. 7 team according to ITA polls, the Baylor Bears will be the highest-ranked team to travel to Linder Stadium in 2009. The Gators will face tough competition as the Bears return five players off last season's 25-9 squad including ITA All-American Denes Lukacs, a junior. Sophomore Jordan Rux leads the Bears with a ranking of No. 13, while junior Attila Bucko is No. 40 and junior Dominik Mueller ranks No. 72.
Admission to both matches is free. Check www.GatorZone.com for more information and results.
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