Men's Tennis 2009-10 Preview
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 | Men's Tennis
The Florida Gators men's tennis team will open the fall season on Friday, Sept. 25, hosting the weekend-long Gator Invitational at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
UF finished the 2009 season ranked No. 11 in the country, compiling an 18-9 overall record (8-5 SEC). Head coach Andy Jackson enters his ninth season at the University of Florida, where he has compiled a 152-59 record (.720). Assistant coach Jeremy Bayon enters his seventh year on the UF staff.
Florida heads into 2009-10 with last year's squad largely intact, including last season's SEC Freshman of the Year, Carlos Cueto, a first-team All-SEC performer who will be joined by fellow All-SEC honorees Alexandre Lacroix (first team) and senior Antoine Benneteau (second team).
In the preseason rankings, Cueto and Lacroix both crack the top 25, with Cueto at No. 11 and Lacroix at No. 23 heading into the fall season.
In addition, sophomore Joey Burkhardt and junior Johnny Hamui, who played the majority of last year's matches at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively, will be back in the Orange and Blue.
Burkhardt and Benneteau return as the team's No. 1 doubles pair, finishing the 2009 season ranked No. 18 in the nation and now the preseason No. 5 duo in the country.
Also back from the 2008-09 team are Dan Cash and Erik Corace, while the Gators have added newcomer William Federhofer.
