In front of an enthusiastic and supportive crowd of Gator fans, the 10th-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team swept No. 7 Baylor University, 7-0, on Sunday at Linder Stadium. The victory marks the second win over Baylor in three years for the Gators and their first win over a top-10 team since they upset 3rd-ranked Georgia in last year's SEC Championship tournament.
“I am very pleased with the team's performance today,” said head coach Andy Jackson. “They were able to earn confidence by beating such a talented Baylor team convincingly. However, I am confident that the next time we play Baylor, the result could be the same score, but in the other team's favor.”
The victory gives the youthful team confidence heading into next weekend's ITA Indoor event.
“Next weekend we face a solid PAC-10 team in Arizona,” Jackson continued. “And if both teams advance, we could face Texas A&M, who are national championship contenders. Next weekend will be very exciting.”
The Gators earned the doubles point after sweeping Baylor and taking all three doubles matches. Redshirt junior Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Billancourt, France) and freshman Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) were the first to finish, defeating Denes Lukacs and Jordan Rux, 8-5. Sophomores Johnny Hamui (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Jeff Dadamo (Tampa, Fla.) defeated Attila Bucko and Julian Bley, 8-4, to clinch the doubles point. Sophomore Alex Lacroix (Paris, France) and freshman Carlos Cueto (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) completed the sweep, downing David Galic and Maros Horny, 8-6.
Dadamo claimed the first singles point for Florida, defeating Marc Bruche in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4 to give UF a 2-0 advantage. Also winning in straight sets was 63rd-ranked Burkhardt, who defeated No. 72 Dominik Mueller, 7-5, 6-4. Fittingly, the clinching match took place on court one, where No. 87 Cueto defeated 21st-ranked Lukacs. Both players traded sets 6-0 and 6-0 before Cueto rallied back to defeat Lukacs 6-3 and seal the victory for the Gators.
Hamui continued the Gators' run as he took out No. 40 Bucko in an exciting match on court five. After taking the first set, 6-1, and dropping the second, 4-6, Hamui rallied back to defeat Bucko, 6-2, in the final set to extend the lead to 5-0 for UF.
Lacroix defeated Baylor's highest-seeded player, No. 13 Rux, in a tight match. After Lacroix and Rux traded games, Rux ended up claiming the first set, 6-7 (7-0). Lacroix showed his resiliency, winning the second set, 6-4, and edging out Rux 1-0 (12-0) in an exciting third-set tie-breaker. Benneteau completed the sweep, defeating Bley in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
The Gators retake the court next weekend at the ITA Indoors on Friday and Saturday. Florida faces Arizona at 10 a.m. and the winner advances to play N.C. State or Texas A&M on Saturday. Live scoring can be found at www.GatorZone.com.
College Men's Tennis
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Final Score: Florida 7, Baylor 0
Doubles
Benneteau/Burkhardt (UF) def. Lukacs/Rux (Baylor), 8-5
Hamui/Dadamo (UF) def. Bucko/Bley (Baylor), 8-4
Lacroix/Cueto (UF) def. Galic/Horny (Baylor), 8-6
Singles
No. 1 (87) Carlos Cueto (UF) def. (21) Denes Lukacs (Baylor), 6-0, 0-6, 6-3
No. 2 Alex Lacroix (UF) def.(13) Jordan Rux (Baylor), 6-7 (7-0), 6-4, 1-0 (12-10)
No. 3 Antoine Benneteau (UF) def. Julian Bley (Baylor), 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
No. 4 (63) Joey Burkhardt (UF) def. (72) Dominik Mueller, 7-5, 6-4
No. 5 Johnny Hamui (UF) def. (40) Attila Bucko (Baylor), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
No. 6 Jeff Dadamo (UF) def. Marc Bruche (Baylor), 6-2, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles – 1, 2, 3 Singles – 6, 4, 1, 5, 2, 3
-UF-
