Friday, January 6
Plantation, FL
TBA
Florida Gators
vs
Future - Day 1
Junior Chase Perez-Blanco (Photo: Tim Casey / UAA Communications)
Ten Gators to compete in ITF Pro Circuit Tournament
Thursday, January 5, 2017 | Men's Tennis
PLANTATION, Fla. – The Gator men's tennis team officially kicks off the 2017 spring season this weekend at one of the most challenging tournaments they will face this year – the USA F3 Futures Pro Circuit tournament. Ten athletes will head to Plantation this weekend to represent the Gators in the qualifying round, which runs from Friday, Jan. 6th to Monday, Jan. 9th.
Competing in a pro tournament the first weekend of the year will kick off one of the toughest spring schedules the team has seen in a while. They will face nine of the top 25 teams in the nation, including top 10 teams Virginia, Ohio State, UCLA and USC.
Five of the Gators heading to Plantation this weekend were ranked in the Oracle/ITA Men's National Singles Rankings earlier in the week. No. 13 Alfredo Perez, No. 64 Elliott Orkin, No. 67 McClain Kessler, No. 98 Maxx Lipman and No. 107 Jordan Belga will face tough competition as they meet some of the highest-rated tennis players in the world.
Gators in the Qualifying Round
Alfredo Perez (11), Johannes Ingildsen (31 - DEN), Chase Perez-Blanco (40), Joseph Guillin (53 - FRA), Elliott Orkin (57), Stephen Madonia (78), McClain Kessler (83), Maxx Lipman (84), Jordan Belga (107), David Sarkissov (Alt. 42).
Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On what this tournament means to the team…
"For us, being able to play these pro events gives us an opportunity for our guys to play against really good competition. We've got guys on our team that aspire to play professional tennis when they're done with their college career, so we certainly want to give them a taste of it."
"This is the best time of the year for our team and for the guys. It's the most exciting time because all of a sudden we're playing as a team. In the fall, you're playing all these individual events and playing singles and doubles but you're not really playing in the team format, and the team format is so exciting. For us, it's getting ready over these next few weeks so that when we open up against Georgia Southern on the 21st the guys are sharp and feeling good about their game."
Looking ahead to the spring season…
"Our schedule is just so good and so strong this year, we play a lot of Top 10 programs and every time we go out there we know that we're going to have a great match. There's just a lot to look forward to, but there's a lot of work to do to get us ready to be successful throughout the season."
Quoting Assistant Coach Tanner Stump
On what he's looking forward to seeing this weekend from the team…
"One of the big things we're looking for is just to see where they're at after the break. It's a tricky time for them to be able to do the right things and I think this tournament gives them a chance to prove to us where they are, and to also prove to the rest of the country that we're ready to go."
On why tournaments like this are important…
"A lot of people will be at the tournament or they'll be following the results, so I think for them to see a lot of us in action is a great statement for what we're trying to do early in the season and how prepared we're going to be."
Tournament Information
ITF Pro Circuit – USA F3 Futures
Plantation, Fla.
Qualifying: Jan. 6-9, 2017; Main Draw: Jan. 10-15, 2017
Frank Veltri Tennis Center at Plantation Central Park
Website
Draws and Order of Play – Friday, January 6th
Future Gators
Class of 2018 signee Andres Andrade will make an appearance at the tournament this weekend. He will compete against USA's Sebastian Zeballos on Friday morning.
About the ITF Pro Circuit
The ITF Men's Circuit provides the entry level of Professional Tournaments enabling players to eventually reach the higher level tournaments on the ATP World Tour.
The ITF Men's Circuit offers 600+ tournaments across 70+ countries and incorporates two prize money levels of tournaments known as 'Futures'.
Futures Tournaments are single week tournaments that offer either $15,000 or $25,000 each in prize money. They must be scheduled as three consecutive weeks of $15,000 each in prize money or two consecutive weeks of $25,000 each in prize money.
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
FloridaGators.com
Competing in a pro tournament the first weekend of the year will kick off one of the toughest spring schedules the team has seen in a while. They will face nine of the top 25 teams in the nation, including top 10 teams Virginia, Ohio State, UCLA and USC.
Five of the Gators heading to Plantation this weekend were ranked in the Oracle/ITA Men's National Singles Rankings earlier in the week. No. 13 Alfredo Perez, No. 64 Elliott Orkin, No. 67 McClain Kessler, No. 98 Maxx Lipman and No. 107 Jordan Belga will face tough competition as they meet some of the highest-rated tennis players in the world.
Gators in the Qualifying Round
Alfredo Perez (11), Johannes Ingildsen (31 - DEN), Chase Perez-Blanco (40), Joseph Guillin (53 - FRA), Elliott Orkin (57), Stephen Madonia (78), McClain Kessler (83), Maxx Lipman (84), Jordan Belga (107), David Sarkissov (Alt. 42).
Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
On what this tournament means to the team…
"For us, being able to play these pro events gives us an opportunity for our guys to play against really good competition. We've got guys on our team that aspire to play professional tennis when they're done with their college career, so we certainly want to give them a taste of it."
"This is the best time of the year for our team and for the guys. It's the most exciting time because all of a sudden we're playing as a team. In the fall, you're playing all these individual events and playing singles and doubles but you're not really playing in the team format, and the team format is so exciting. For us, it's getting ready over these next few weeks so that when we open up against Georgia Southern on the 21st the guys are sharp and feeling good about their game."
Looking ahead to the spring season…
"Our schedule is just so good and so strong this year, we play a lot of Top 10 programs and every time we go out there we know that we're going to have a great match. There's just a lot to look forward to, but there's a lot of work to do to get us ready to be successful throughout the season."
Quoting Assistant Coach Tanner Stump
On what he's looking forward to seeing this weekend from the team…
"One of the big things we're looking for is just to see where they're at after the break. It's a tricky time for them to be able to do the right things and I think this tournament gives them a chance to prove to us where they are, and to also prove to the rest of the country that we're ready to go."
On why tournaments like this are important…
"A lot of people will be at the tournament or they'll be following the results, so I think for them to see a lot of us in action is a great statement for what we're trying to do early in the season and how prepared we're going to be."
Tournament Information
ITF Pro Circuit – USA F3 Futures
Plantation, Fla.
Qualifying: Jan. 6-9, 2017; Main Draw: Jan. 10-15, 2017
Frank Veltri Tennis Center at Plantation Central Park
Website
Draws and Order of Play – Friday, January 6th
- McClain Kessler (UF) (USA) vs. Jordan Nickerson (USA) – 8:30 am
- Johannes Ingildsen (UF) (DEN) vs. Andrew Heller (USA) – Yale – Not before 12:30 pm
- Maxx Lipman (UF) (USA) vs. Cesar Antonio Gomez Diaz (MEX) – Not before 10 am
- Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) (USA) vs. Aron Pierce (USA) – Not before 11:30 am
- Joseph Guillin (UF) (FRA) vs. Christopher Grant (USA) – Columbia – Not before 11:30 am
- Elliott Orkin (UF) (USA) vs. Matheus Aquino (BRA) – Not before 12:30 pm
- Stephen Madonia (UF) (USA) vs. Pablo Landa Catan (MEX) – Not before 12:30 pm
- Jordan Belga (UF) (USA) vs. Gabriel Ciro Da Silva (BRA) – Not before 2:30 pm
- Alfredo Perez (UF) (USA) vs. Erroll Lawrence (USA) – Not before 2:30 p
Future Gators
Class of 2018 signee Andres Andrade will make an appearance at the tournament this weekend. He will compete against USA's Sebastian Zeballos on Friday morning.
About the ITF Pro Circuit
The ITF Men's Circuit provides the entry level of Professional Tournaments enabling players to eventually reach the higher level tournaments on the ATP World Tour.
The ITF Men's Circuit offers 600+ tournaments across 70+ countries and incorporates two prize money levels of tournaments known as 'Futures'.
Futures Tournaments are single week tournaments that offer either $15,000 or $25,000 each in prize money. They must be scheduled as three consecutive weeks of $15,000 each in prize money or two consecutive weeks of $25,000 each in prize money.
Follow the Gators
Join the conversation: Tweet #GoGators
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
FloridaGators.com
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Inside Florida Gators Men's Tennis
Wednesday, July 17
One-on-One with Coach Steinberg 3-7-24
Thursday, March 07
Bryan Shelton Postmatch 2-2-23
Saturday, February 04
Jonah Braswell Postmatch 2-2-23
Saturday, February 04
