Florida Gators
ITA All-American-Day One (Pre-Qualifying)
Gators Advance to Second Day of Pre-Qualifying Rounds at ITA All-American Championships
Saturday, October 3, 2015 | Men's Tennis
Four of the University of Florida men's tennis players have advanced to day two of the pre-qualifying draw in the Saint Francis Health Care System ITA Men's All-American Championships. Three of the four Gators used straight-set victories to move on to the pre-qualifying round of 128.
Alfredo Perez cruised to a victory over Valparaiso's Garrett Gardner, 6-1, 6-2 in the first day of competition. Sophomore Jordan Belga defeated Tom Hands of Drake in three sets, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. Josh Wardell was victorious in his Saturday match over Chase Gordon of Tulsa, 6-3, 6-2 and freshman McClain Kessler took down Ricardo Pabon of ETSU, 6-4, 6-1 to advance to day two.
What Coach Shelton Said About Today
“The guys got off to a good start. We only had one match that went three sets today and I always like to see us finish strong. Our goal is to play better and better as we go. This week is another good opportunity for the Gators. We learned some things last weekend that will certainly help us here.”
Up Next for the Gators: Pre-Qualifying Round of 128
· Alfredo Perez (UF) vs. Kai Wehnelt (Hawaii)
· Jordan Belga (UF) vs. Tony Russell (SMU)
· Josh Wardell (UF) vs. Gabor Csonka (LSU)
· McClain Kessler (UF) vs. Sergio Arevalillo (Buffalo)
Gators Selected for the All-American Championships
· Diego Hidalgo received an automatic berth into the singles main draw
· Chase Perez-Blanco, Elliott Orkin, Gordon Watson and Maxx Lipman earned entries into the singles qualifying draw
· Perez, Belga, Wardell and Kessler earned spots in the singles pre-qualifying draw
· In doubles, the pairings of Hidalgo and Watson and Orkin and Lipman received automatic berths into the doubles main draw
About the Saint Francis Health Care System ITA Men's All-American Championships
The Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. will serve as the host site for the 2015 Men's ITA All-American Championships. For the 11th straight year, the University of Tulsa will serve as the official tournament host. The tournament encompasses three rounds of competition with singles and doubles pre-qualifying matches beginning on Saturday, October 3. Qualifying matches are slated to begin on Monday, October 5 and main draw action is scheduled to start on Thursday, October 8 and run through Monday, October 12.
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 Nov. 12-15, head at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Follow Along with the All-American Championships
Online: Tournament Central Page
Twitter: Follow @ITATennis or #TulsaITA
Complete Day One Pre-Qualifying Results
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