Florida Gators
#42 Mississippi State
Gators Begin SEC Weekend with Win vs. Mississippi State, 4-1
Saturday, March 14, 2015 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators got their Southeastern Conference home weekend off to a solid start with a 4-1 victory against Mississippi State at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex Friday evening.
The victory was an important one for Florida, which dropped a tough 4-3 road decision at Vanderbilt in the team's last conference outing. The remaining of the Gator's schedule features only SEC foes.
Florida won a thrilling doubles point and then captured straight-set singles victories from Elliott Orkin, Chase Perez-Blanco and Diego Hidalgo.
Doubling their Fun:
· Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson posted the first individual win of the dual match, taking the 6-1 victory on court two against Mate Cutura and Tassilo Schmid. Hidalgo ended the first game with an ace and the Gators raced out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, just missing the bagel with the Bulldog pair held serve in the sixth game.
· Oliver Landert and Joshua Wardell provided the doubles-point clinching heroics with a deceiving 6-3 win on court three.
· The Gators won the doubles point for the first time since February 28 in a 4-1 home win against South Carolina.
Shot of the Match:
· Josh Wardell had the shot of the match during the eighth game of his doubles match with Oliver Landert. The Gators overcame an early 2-0 deficit with a break in the fourth game and Landert held to get the 6-game pro-set back on-serve, 3-2. After Wardell held for 4-3, the Gator pair won three straight points and held break point, but the Bulldog duo fought it off. The ninth point of the game was a long one and the Gators played excellent defense, capped by an incredible shot by Wardell, who chased down a well-hit shot, wide off the court and flicked his wrist for a cross-court winner that landed deep and just inside the tape on break-point that gave the UF pair a 5-3 and the momentum. Landert served out for the 6-3 win and clinched the doubles point.
Comeback of the Match:
· Freshman Chase Perez-Blanco rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set against Julian Cash and won six consecutive games to take the opening set, 7-5, and the initial game of the second. The Gator rookie also earned breaks in the third and ninth games to capture the 7-5, 6-3 victory that gave Florida a 3-0 lead in the dual match.
Setting the Tone:
· Elliott Orkin defeated Tassilo Schmid on court three, 6-3, 6-0, in 50 minutes and gave Florida a 2-0 dual match advantage. The Gator sophomore fell behind early, 2-0, before winning 12 of the next 13 games to post the impressive victory.
Another 'W':
· Junior Diego Hidalgo and freshman Chase Perez-Blanco both won their respective singles matches and both improved to a team-leading 8-1 dual match singles record.
Updated Records: Florida 7-5, 2-2 SEC … Mississippi State 11-4, 2-1 SEC
Online Links:
· Head Coach Bryan Shelton on tonight's 4-1 vs Mississippi State and more:
· Josh Wardell talks about his incredible hustle play-shot that turned the doubles momentum tonight:
· Chase Perez-Blanco on tonight's Gator win his first set comeback in his straight set singles victory:
Quotes from the Match
Shelton's Notes – Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On the importance of tonight's win:
“This was a huge win for us, coming off a couple tough losses, on the road and then not really playing our very best against Ohio State and feeling like we let an opportunity go there. To come back against a gritty Mississippi State team and secure the victory tonight – I'm really proud of our guys.”
On winning the doubles point:
“It was really nice for Diego (Hidalgo) and G (Gordon Watson) to get started tonight. That's a team that we believe in and we know they can play at a high level. They've played some great tennis throughout the season and it was good to get them back on track today and see them first off. What can you say about Josh and Oliver. When the pressure was great again today, they came through. Josh's hustle play was one of the biggest points of the match for us and helped seal the doubles point for us. I'm really proud of those guys. They've been working hard and they deserved it.”
On Diego Hidalgo's clinching dual match singles win:
“Diego is so much fun to work with. There are those players who can do multiple things when they play and they play with charisma and a fighting spirit and Diego has it all. It's so much fun because you can set up a game plan and you can alter a game plan midstream and know that he can execute it and do the things he needs to do to be successful. So it's a lot of fun as a coach to work with a player who has the right mindset out there on the court and can execute what you're asking him to do. He did a great job tonight. He's a fighter and he's a winner.”
Next Gator Match:
· The Gators return to action on Sunday when they play host to Alabama beginning at 1 p.m. Admission is FREE!
Special Promotions for Sunday's Match:
· Junior Announcer of the Match: One lucky kid will get the chance to announce the singles line-ups for the Gators and receive a free Florida Tennis t-shirt!
· Youth Day: Kids are invited to stand on the court with the team during the National Anthem! There will be face painting, Albert and more!
· Mini Gators Giveaway: The first 150 kids, 12 and under, in attendance receive a free mini stuffed Gator!
· Selfie Saturday: Selfie Saturday! Snap a selfie of yourself at the match and tweet it with the hashtag #GameSetMatchUF for a chance to win a Florida Tennis Prize Pack!
| 2015 University of Florida Men's Tennis |
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| Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex |
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| Gainesville, Florida |
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| Friday, March 13, 2015 |
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| Doubles | FLORIDA | vs | MSU | Winner |
| Score (match length) |
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| Maxx Lipman | Julian Cash (46) | MS | 6-2 (0:30) |
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| No. 1 - | Elliott Orkin | Florian Lakat (46) |
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| Diego Hidalgo (33) | Mate Cutura | UF | 6-1 (0:27) |
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| No. 2 - | Gordon Watson (33) | Tassilo Schmid |
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| Oliver Landert (72) | Juan Cruz Estevarena | UF* | 6-3 (0:40) |
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| No. 3 - | Joshua Wardell (72) | Robin Haden |
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| Singles | FLORIDA | vs | MSU | Winner |
| Score (match length) |
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| No. 1 - | Diego Hidalgo (64) | Florian Lakat (112) | UF* | 6-4, 6-4 (1:29) |
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| No. 2 - | Maxx Lipman (78) | Juan Cruz Estevarena | DNF | 2-6, 6-2, 4-2 |
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| No. 3 - | Elliott Orkin (99) | Tassilo Schmid (105) | UF | 6-3, 6-0 (0:50) |
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| No. 4 - | Gordon Watson | Mate Cutura | MS | 7-6 (5), 6-2 (1:24) |
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| No. 5 - | Chase Perez-Blanco | Julian Cash | UF | 7-5, 6-3 (1:19) |
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| No. 6 - | Oliver Landert | Rishab Agarwal | DNF | 3-6, 6-4, 0-1 |
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| FINAL SCORE: | Florida 4 | Mississippi State 1 | * Clinched victory | ||||||||||||||
| Records: | Florida 7-5, 2-2 | Mississippi State 11-4, 2-1 | |||||||||||||||
| Order of Finish: | Doubles: 2, 1, 3 | Singles: 3, 5, 4, 1* | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance: | 197 |
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