Florida Gators
Furman (ITA Kick-Off Weekend)
No. 11 Men's Tennis Downs Furman to Open ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Sunday, January 31, 2010 | Men's Tennis
The University of Florida's 11th-ranked men's tennis team defeated Furman, 4-0, on Saturday evening at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex to open the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
In a match that was delayed over 10 hours due to weather conditions, the team held its composure and rattled off four straight-set singles wins to take the match. Due to the delay, the teams agreed to start play with singles and only continue into doubles play if necessary to settle the outcome.
“We were here at 8:30 this morning and didn't start for nearly 12 hours, yet the team still had very good focus,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “That's a credit to the players and to [assistant coach] Jeremy Bayon. We did well in different situations. Furman has the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history [Paul Scarpa] and always gives a good effort, so you never get a win for free against them.”
Sophomore Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) wrapped up his match in 58 minutes, scoring a 6-1, 6-3 win over Carl Lundberg at No. 4 singles. In Florida's three dual matches this season, Burkhardt has gone 3-0 and has also been the quickest finisher each time out.
“That shows great leadership,” Jackson said. “Getting a big jump early in a team match like that almost makes it feel like it's worth two points. Joey has been spectacular for us in that respect.”
“I've been working hard, and feel like I'm playing well right now,” Burkhardt said. “But we know that we'll have a tough challenge tomorrow no matter who we play. We'll have to play our best to win, no doubt.”
Senior Antoine Benneteau (France) followed up Burkhardt's win, putting away Andrei Chvetsov, 6-2, 6-1, on the fifth court, while freshman Bob Van Overbeek (Boca Raton, Fla.) set the table for the clincher with his victory at third singles.
No. 7 junior Alexandre Lacroix (France) picked up the needed fourth win at first singles, finishing off Sawyer Duncan, 6-1, 6-3, in one hour and 22 minutes to advance UF into the next round. The two matches still in play were not finished after Florida clinched the victory.
The winner of tomorrow's ITA Kick-Off Weekend winner's match at 1 p.m. earns a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va., Feb. 12-15. Florida faces the winner of this evening's Georgia Tech vs. Penn State match.
UF vs. Furman results
No. 1 – (7) Alexandre Lacroix (UF) def. Sawyer Duncan (FU) – 6-1, 6-3 (1:22)
No. 2 – Sekou Bangoura Jr. (UF) led Chris Motes (FU) – 7-5, 4-4 (DNF)
No. 3 – Bob Van Overbeek (UF) def. Jordan Walters (FU) – 6-2, 6-1 (1:15)
No. 4 – Joey Burkhardt (UF) def. Carl Lundberg (FU) – 6-1, 6-3 (:58)
No. 5 – Antoine Benneteau (UF) def. Andrei Chvetsov (FU) – 6-2, 6-1 (1:06)
No. 6 – Nassim Slilam (UF) led Andrew Mellow (FU) – 6-1, 3-6, 4-1 (DNF)
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1
-UF-
