Sunday, January 24
Austin, Texas
2:00 PM
Florida Gators
3
vs
4
Texas Tech University
Alfredo Perez won two singles matches over the weekend at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin
No. 21 Florida Drops Close Contest to No. 15 Texas Tech, 4-3
Sunday, January 24, 2016 | Men's Tennis
AUSTIN, Texas- The No. 21 University of Florida men's tennis team dropped a close match to No. 15 Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Gators capitalized on stellar doubles play but ultimately fell in the match, 4-3.
In what was an early Top-5 matchup, the No. 3-ranked doubles tandem of Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson defeated the No. 2-ranked Texas Tech pairing of Hugo Dojas and Felipe Soares, 6-3. Juniors Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin clinched the doubles point for the Gators with a 6-4 victory over Alex Sendegeya and Bjorn Thomson.
The Gators jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in singles play with Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco each defeating their respective opponents in straight sets. Texas Tech came storming back in the match with Dojas defeating Orkin, 6-2, 6-4 and Lipman falling to Thomson, 7-6, 6-4.
UF continued to fight with the last two matches going to a third set. Freshman McClain Kessler took the first set in his match against Connor Curry, but the Red Raider took the next two sets and the match, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. The match came down to a three set thriller between the No. 8-ranked Soares and No. 31-ranked Hidalgo.
After dropping the first set, the Gator came cruising back in the second set. The third set would come to a 5-5 tie, only to have Soares pull away to clinch the match victory for the Red Raiders, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
The Orange and Blue will return to Gainesville for a week of practice and a pair of Top-15 contests awaiting them on the west coast next weekend. Florida will first compete against No. 8 USC on Saturday and then No. 12 UCLA on Sunday.
What Coach Shelton Says
"We played some really good doubles today and competed hard across the line in singles. Texas Tech is a very good team with a lot of heart. It was a tough battle but we'll be better because of it. We can't wait to take the court again."
Full Results
No. 15 Texas Tech 4, No. 21 Florida 3
Doubles-Order of Finish: 1, 2*
Four teams ranked in the ITA Top-25 have arrived in Austin along with numerous singles and doubles players. The Texas Regional has one of the strongest fields with the participating teams only separated by six spots in the Oracle/ITA Team Rankings.
Singles:
8. Felipe Soares (Texas Tech)
31. Diego Hidalgo (Florida)
33. Alex Sendegeya (Texas Tech)
36. Stefan Lindmark (Ole Miss)
49: Elliott Orkin (Florida)
62: Chase Perez-Blanco (Florida)
91: Alfredo Perez (Florida)
94. Harrison Scott (Texas)
97: McClain Kessler (Florida)
114. Michael Riechmann (Texas)
Doubles:
2. Huga Dojas/Felipe Soares (Texas Tech)
3. Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson (Florida)
31. Stefan Lindmark/Filip Kraljevic (Ole Miss)
40. Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (Florida)
46. John Mee/Harrison Scott (Texas)
About the ITA Kick-Off Weekend
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend marks the official start of the collegiate tennis season. 15 four-team tournament sites are selected to host the annual event, with Texas welcoming Florida, Texas Tech and Ole Miss. One of 15 spots in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships hosted at the University of Virginia is at stake this weekend in Austin.
Where
Weller Indoor Tennis Center (The University of Texas Golf Club)
2200 University Club Drive
Austin, Texas
Follow the Gators:
FloridaGators.com
Facebook
Twitter
In what was an early Top-5 matchup, the No. 3-ranked doubles tandem of Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson defeated the No. 2-ranked Texas Tech pairing of Hugo Dojas and Felipe Soares, 6-3. Juniors Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin clinched the doubles point for the Gators with a 6-4 victory over Alex Sendegeya and Bjorn Thomson.
The Gators jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in singles play with Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco each defeating their respective opponents in straight sets. Texas Tech came storming back in the match with Dojas defeating Orkin, 6-2, 6-4 and Lipman falling to Thomson, 7-6, 6-4.
UF continued to fight with the last two matches going to a third set. Freshman McClain Kessler took the first set in his match against Connor Curry, but the Red Raider took the next two sets and the match, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. The match came down to a three set thriller between the No. 8-ranked Soares and No. 31-ranked Hidalgo.
After dropping the first set, the Gator came cruising back in the second set. The third set would come to a 5-5 tie, only to have Soares pull away to clinch the match victory for the Red Raiders, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
The Orange and Blue will return to Gainesville for a week of practice and a pair of Top-15 contests awaiting them on the west coast next weekend. Florida will first compete against No. 8 USC on Saturday and then No. 12 UCLA on Sunday.
What Coach Shelton Says
"We played some really good doubles today and competed hard across the line in singles. Texas Tech is a very good team with a lot of heart. It was a tough battle but we'll be better because of it. We can't wait to take the court again."
Full Results
No. 15 Texas Tech 4, No. 21 Florida 3
Doubles-Order of Finish: 1, 2*
- #3 Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson def. #2 Hugo Dojas/Felipe Soares, 6-3
- #40 Lipman/Orkin def. Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson, 6-4
- Jolan Cailleau/Conner Curry vs. Perez-Blanco/Wardell, 5-3 susp.
- #8 Felipe Soares def. #31 Diego Hidalgo, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
- Hugo Dojas def. #49 Elliott Orkin, 6-2, 6-4
- #91 Alfredo Perez def. #33 Alex Sendegeya, 6-3, 6-0
- #62 Chase Perez-Blanco def. Jolan Cailleau, 6-3, 6-4
- Connor Curry def. #97 McClain Kessler, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
- Bjorn Thomson def. Maxx Lipman, 7-6, 6-4
Four teams ranked in the ITA Top-25 have arrived in Austin along with numerous singles and doubles players. The Texas Regional has one of the strongest fields with the participating teams only separated by six spots in the Oracle/ITA Team Rankings.
Singles:
8. Felipe Soares (Texas Tech)
31. Diego Hidalgo (Florida)
33. Alex Sendegeya (Texas Tech)
36. Stefan Lindmark (Ole Miss)
49: Elliott Orkin (Florida)
62: Chase Perez-Blanco (Florida)
91: Alfredo Perez (Florida)
94. Harrison Scott (Texas)
97: McClain Kessler (Florida)
114. Michael Riechmann (Texas)
Doubles:
2. Huga Dojas/Felipe Soares (Texas Tech)
3. Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson (Florida)
31. Stefan Lindmark/Filip Kraljevic (Ole Miss)
40. Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (Florida)
46. John Mee/Harrison Scott (Texas)
About the ITA Kick-Off Weekend
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend marks the official start of the collegiate tennis season. 15 four-team tournament sites are selected to host the annual event, with Texas welcoming Florida, Texas Tech and Ole Miss. One of 15 spots in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships hosted at the University of Virginia is at stake this weekend in Austin.
Where
Weller Indoor Tennis Center (The University of Texas Golf Club)
2200 University Club Drive
Austin, Texas
Follow the Gators:
FloridaGators.com
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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