Florida Gators
ITA All-American Qualifying Day 2
Watson Continues Winning Ways at ITA All-American Qualifying
Wednesday, October 1, 2014 | Men's Tennis
Junior Gordon Watson picked up another victory Tuesday as he continues to progress in the 2014 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships qualifying singles at the University of Tulsa.
No. 70-ranked Watson, a 17-24 seed, defeated No. 111 Bernardo Saraiva of San Francisco in a three-set, come from behind match, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
“Gordon is playing with a lot of confidence and has been serving extremely well,” said volunteer assistant coach Scott Perelman. “He is excited to play the final round of qualifying tomorrow.”
In the third and final round of qualifying singles, Watson will face Wake Forest's Jonathan Ho at approximately 11 a.m. ET. Ho earned a spot in the qualifying draw after advancing through three rounds of pre-qualifying matches. With a victory tomorrow, Watson will secure a match in main draw singles. Live scoring can be found courtesy of Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tennis.
Elliott Orkin earned the second Gator victory of the day in consolation singles when he defeated Danil Zelenkov of George Washington in straight sets, 7-6 (1), 6-3. Later, Orkin paired with Maxx Lipman in qualifying doubles, but the tandem fell to Matt Cowley and Cedric Willems of Utah, 7-5, 6-7(5), 1-0(3).
Complete Qualifying Singles, Consolation Singles and Doubles Draws Available
2014 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships
Day 2 Qualifying Results – UF Only
SINGLES
Second Round
No. 70 Gordon Watson (UF) def. No. 111 Bernardo Saraiva (San Fran), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Consolation Singles
No. 68 Elliott Orkin (UF) def. Danil Zelenkov (GW), 7-6 (1), 6-3
DOUBLES
First Round
Matt Cowley/Cedric Willems (Utah) def. No. 39 Lipman/Orkin [9-16], 7-5, 6-7(5), 1-0(3)
Day Three Qualifying Pairings – UF Only
SINGLES
Third Round
No. 70 Gordon Watson (UF) vs. Jonathan Ho [Q] (Wake Forest)
NEED TO KNOW INFO:
The University of Tulsa in Oklahoma will again serve as the host site for the Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships. The national championship, considered the first leg of the collegiate grand slam, began on Saturday, September 27 with pre-qualifying singles and doubles matches. Qualifying competition will be held September 29-October 1 and main draw action is slated for Thursday, October 2-Monday, October 6 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
HOW IT WORKS:
Pre-qualifying matches began on September 27 with qualifying matches following on September 29. A field of 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams will then compete in the main draw on October 2.
GATORS SELECTED FOR SAINT FRANCIS HEALTH SYSTEM ITA ALL-AMERICAN:
• Maxx Lipman, Elliott Orkin and Gordon Watson earned a spot in the singles qualifying draw
• Lipman and Orkin have been selected to the qualifying doubles list
WHAT'S AT STAKE:
Singles quarterfinalists, doubles finalists and consolation champions will receive an automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships on November 7-10, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
FOLLOWING THE ACTION:
Follow the ITA on Twitter for updates and news from Oklahoma, or search for the hashtag #TulsaITA to find other tweets from those tweeting about the Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships. Check out the ITA Facebook page or the 2014 All-American Championships Tournament Hub for more updates.
FOLLOW THE GATORS:
