Florida Gators
Alabama
No. 10 Men's Tennis Earns 5-2 Road Win Over No. 15 Alabama
Saturday, April 11, 2009 | Men's Tennis
The 10th-ranked UF men's tennis team collected an impressive road victory over 15th-ranked Alabama (17-6/5-4 SEC). In the first of three-consecutive road matches, the Gators downed the Crimson Tide, 5-2, to improve their overall record to 15-6 and 6-3 in conference play.
Florida swept the doubles courts to take the 1-0 advantage. Sophomores Jeff Dadamo (Tampa, Fla.) and Johnny Hamui (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) teamed up on court two to take the first match with a 8-3 victory over Dan Buikema and Billy Mertz. Freshman Carlos Cueto (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) and sophomore Alex Lacroix (Paris, France) earned their 17th-consecutive doubles match after downing Saketh Myneni and Andrew Felsenthal, 8-6, on court three. Redshirt junior Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Bilancourt, France) and freshman Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) completed the sweep as the 17th-ranked pair defeated No. 35 Mathieu Thibaudeau and Ricky Doverspike, 9-8.
No. 28 Lacroix carred the momentum into singles play, as he defeated No. 87 Thibaudeau in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, to extend the Gators' advantage 2-0. The Crimson Tide evened the score at 2-2 with victories on courts four and five.
Dadamo helped the Gators regain the lead with a win over Michael Jung. The 7-6, 6-4, straight-set victory gave Dadamo his fifth-consecutive win. After dropping the first set, 3-6, Benneteau fought back to clinch the match for the Orange and Blue. The redshirt junior claimed the second set, 6-1, and the third, 6-4, for his 17th win of the spring season.
With the match in the win column for Florida, 27th-ranked Cueto was not finished. The freshman defeated No. 34 Myneni, 7-6, 0-6, 7-5, on court one to give Florida their final 5-2 margin and to earn his 10th win against a ranked opponent.
The Gators continue their conference road trip as they travel to Auburn, Ala. to take on the Tigers on Sunday at 2 p.m. Official results and live scoring can be found at www.GatorZone.com.
College Men's Tennis
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
University of Alabama Tennis Stadium
Friday, April 10, 2009
Final Score: No. 10 Florida - 5, No. 15 Alabama - 2
Doubles
No. 1 (17) Benneteau/Burkhardt (UF) def. (35) Thibaudeau/Doverspike (Bama), 9-8
No. 2 Dadamo/Hamui (UF) def. Buikema/Mertz (Bama), 8-3
No. 3 Cueto/Lacroix (UF) def. Myneni/Felsenthal (Bama), 8-6
Singles
No. 1 (27) Carlos Cueto (UF) def. (34) Saketh Myneni (Bama), 7-6 (8), 0-6, 7-5
No. 2 (28) Alex Lacroix (UF) def. (87) Mathieu Thibaudeau (Bama), 7-5, 6-3
No. 3 Antoine Benneteau (UF) def. Dan Buikema (Bama), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4*
No. 4 Michael Thompson (Bama) def. Joey Burkhardt (UF), 6-4, 6-3
No. 5 Billy Mertz (Bama) def. Johnny Hamui (UF), 6-3, 7-5
No. 6 Jeff Dadamo (UF) def. Michael Jung (Bama), 7-6 (12), 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles – 2, 3, 1 Singles – 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1
-UF-
