Florida Gators
USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational Day 2
Gators Advance on Day Two of Clay Court Invite
Saturday, November 1, 2014 | Men's Tennis
Two Gators advanced to the main draw singles quarterfinal round of the 2014 USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational in Orlando, Florida, hosted by Florida State University Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
No. 5-seed junior Diego Hidalgo and Gator rookie Chase Perez-Blanco made it past two rounds of singles action to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Hidalgo defeated Matt Barry of Penn State, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4), in his first match of the day and later topped Auburn's Marko Krickovic, a No. 9-6 seed, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Florida freshman Perez-Blanco needed three sets to clinch wins against both his opponents in today's matches. He took an early lead over Carlos Benita of Georgia Tech, 6-2, and sealed the deal in the third, 6-4. Perez-Blanco upset the No. 4 seed, No. 79-ranked Benjamin Lock of Florida State, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Hidalgo and Perez-Blanco will compete against one another in a Gator versus Gator quarterfinal match.
“Our guys battled hard today,” said volunteer assistant coach Scott Perelman. “The singles draw had 72 players to start and the Gators have two of the final eight. Both Chase and Diego would have preferred to play against guys from other schools, but both are excited to be in the quarterfinals.”
Despite dropping his second round main draw match to No. 1-seeded Hunter Harrington of Clemson, Richard Brej ended singles play with a consolation victory over Auburn's Petar Tomic, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the Round of 16.
Perez-Blanco and fellow freshman Jordan Belga reached the doubles semifinals following an 8-5 win over Richard Pham and Mike Vermeer of Columbia. The Gator duo will take on the No. 1 seed, Florida State's Benjamin Lock and Marco Nunez.
“I'm very happy for Chase and Jordan to advance to the semifinals of their doubles draw,” Perelman added. “It was another good day for the Gators.”
Updated Singles and Doubles Draws Available
Streaming is available at ESPN3.com or on the WatchESPN app on Sunday, November 2 from 9 a.m. ET. Kevin Corke and Patrick McEnroe will commentate the finals on Sunday.
For match updates as they are completed, follow @2014_CCI on Twitter. For daily results and updated brackets, visit Facebook.com/FSUMTennis and Seminoles.com.
Disney Details
2014 USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational
Day Two Results – UF Only
SINGLES
Second Round
Hunter Harrington [1] (Clemson) def. Richard Brej (UF), 6-4, 6-0
Diego Hidalgo [5] (UF) def. Matt Barry (PSU), 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Carlos Benita (Georgia Tech), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Round of 16
Diego Hidalgo [5] (UF) def. Marko Krickovic [9-16] (AUB), 6-4, 6-3
Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. No. 79 Benjamin Lock [4] (FSU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Consolation Round of 32
Florian Nicoud (VT) def. Jordan Belga (UF), 7-6(6), 6-3
Richard Brej (UF) def. Petar Tomic (AUB), 6-3, 6-4
DOUBLES
Second Round
“A”
Jordan Belga/Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Richard Pham/Mike Vermeer [4] (Columbia), 8-5
“B”
Rob Bellamy/Eric Johnson (USC) def. Richard Brej/Diego Hidalgo [4] (UF), 8-5
2014 USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational
Day Three Pairings – UF Only
SINGLES
Quarterfinals
Diego Hidalgo [5] (UF) vs. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF)
Consolation Round of 16
Richard Brej (UF) vs. Alex Fennell (PSU)
DOUBLES
Semifinals
Jordan Belga/Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) vs. Benjamin Lock/Marco Nunez [1] (FSU)
Basic Information
2014 USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World, Grand Cypress and Isleworth
Free Admission
Teams With Athletes Competing
Auburn, Central Florida, Clemson, Columbia, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Penn State, Princeton, South Alabama, Southern California, Stetson, Virginia Tech
Daily Schedule of Events
Saturday, Nov. 1
D: Doubles A – Quarterfinals, Doubles B – Semifinals
D: Singles A – Quarterfinals/Semifinals, Singles B – Semifinals
GC: Consolations
Sunday, Nov. 2
D: Doubles A – Semifinals/Finals
D: Doubles B – Finals
D: Singles A/B – Finals
GC = Grand Cypress (Orlando)
I = Isleworth (Windermere)
D = Disney (Kissimmee)
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