Florida Gators

TULSA, Okla. – On the final day of qualifying play at the ITA All-American Championships, the duo of Oliver Crawford and Andy Andrade advanced to the main draw in doubles.    
 
The sophomores were in a battle from the start with California's Jacob Brumm and Yuta Kikuchi.  Cal won the first set 7-6 (9), but the Gators responded with a 6-1 victory in the second set.  In the tiebreak, Crawford and Andrade outlasted the Bears 10-5 to advance to the main draw. 
 
Florida struggled to find a rhythm in singles as all three Gators were defeated and eliminated from the tournament.  Sophomore Duarte Vale battled Mississippi State's Florian Broska in the second round of qualifying singles.  Despite taking the first set 6-3, Vale dropped the final two sets 1-6, 4-6. 
 
Andrade dropped a tough match against Menelaos Efstathiou of Wake Forest 3-6, 5-7.   Senior McClain Kessler fell just short against Indiana's Antonio Cembellin, 4-6, 5-7.
 
The Gators will be back in action when the ITA All-American Championships main draw resumes on Thursday.  Junior Johannes Ingildsen, freshman Sam Riffice and Crawford were selected for the main draw singles.  Crawford and Andrade qualified for main draw doubles and will join Ingildsen and sophomore Brian Berdusco, who earned an automatic bid into the main draw.   
 
ITA All-American Championships Results:

• Qualifying Singles Round 2
  • Florian Broska (Mississippi State) def. Duarte Vale 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
  • Menelaos Efstathiou (Wake Forest) def. Andy Andrade 6-3, 7-5
  • Antonio Cembellin (Indiana) def. McClain Kessler 6-4, 7-5

• Qualifying Doubles Finals:
  • Oliver Crawford/Andy Andrade def. Jacob Brumm/Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) 6-7 (9), 6-1, 1-0 (5)

 
Up Next:

• The Gators will be off on Wednesday as the ITA All-American Championships honors a day of rest prior to singles and doubles main draws starting Thursday.

• Gators in Main Draw:
  • Singles:
    • Johannes Ingildsen
    • Oliver Crawford
    • Sam Riffice
  • Doubles:
    • Brian Berdusco/Johannes Ingildsen
    • Oliver Crawford/Andy Andrade

 
Thoughts from Coach Bryan Shelton:

• "Singles wasn't quite what we were looking for today, but I know we learned from each loss.  We have to improve with our decision making on the court and be tougher mentally when dealing with adversity.  Those are areas that we will improve.  Nice to see Oliver [Crawford] and Andy [Andrade] win their doubles with less than their best!"

 
What's on the Line?

• In addition to vying for the All-American national title, players will be competing to secure a berth to the 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, which takes place Nov. 7-11 in Surprise, Ariz.
• Singles quarterfinalists, consolation singles champion and finalist, along with doubles semifinalists and consolation doubles champion and finalist will advance to the end of fall national championship. 

 
How to Follow the Action:

• For updates, draws, schedules, live scoring, general daily recaps and photo gallery links, visit the Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships event page
• You can also follow event coverage on the Florida Gators Men's Tennis Twitter and Instagram channels at @GatorsMTN.

 
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