No. 10 M. Tennis Travels to Auburn for 2009 SEC Championship
Thursday, April 23, 2009 | Men's Tennis
The 10th-ranked UF men's tennis team wrapped up their regular-season last week with a win over South Carolina and looks to continue its momentum to Auburn, Ala. for the 2009 SEC Championship.
The squad is looking to earn Florida's fourth tournament title, as the Gators were crowned SEC tournament champs in 1994, 2000 and 2005. UF is 25-13 all-time in the conference tournament. The Gators have advanced to the semi-finals of the event six-straight years. Last season, Florida advanced to the finals, before falling to Ole Miss 4-1.
The 2008-09 squad has been solid in conference play, posting a 7-4 SEC record. The team is led by two-time SEC Freshman of the Week Carlos Cueto (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) and former SEC Player of the Week Alex Lacroix (Paris, France). A duo of newcomers, freshman Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) and redshirt junior Antoine Benneteau (Boulogne-Bilancourt, France), have also brought success on the courts for Florida. Sophomores Jeff Dadamo (Tampa, Fla.), Johnny Hamui (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Erik Corace (Naples, Fla.) have all contributed for the Gators.
The SEC has proven to be one of the most talented conferences in the nation, as seven of the 12 teams in the conference are listed on ITA's latest top-25 rankings. In addition, seven singles players representing the SEC are featured in the ITA top-25.
The fourth-seeded Gators earned a first-round bye and will take on the winner of Alabama/Vanderbilt on Friday at 11 a.m. CT. Live scoring is availabe at www.GatorZone.com.
2009 SEC Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 23
11 a.m. Match 1: #9 South Carolina vs. #8 LSU
11 a.m. Match 2: #12 Vanderbilt vs. #5 Alabama
3 p.m. Match 3: #11 Arkansas vs. #6 Kentucky
3 p.m. Match 4: #10 Mississippi State vs. #7 Auburn
Friday, April 24
11 a.m. Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. #1 Ole Miss
11 a.m. Match 6: Winner Match 2 vs. #4 Florida
3 p.m. Match 7: Winner Match 3 vs. #3 Tennessee
3 p.m. Match 8: Winner Match 4 vs. #2 Georgia
Saturday, April 25
11 a.m. Match 9: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6
3 p.m. Match 10: Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8
Sunday, April 26
1 p.m. Championship Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10
-UF-
