Saturday, February 1
Lake Nona, FL
5 PM
Florida Gators
vs
Florida State
No. 2 Florida Geared for College MatchDay versus No. 21 Florida State
Friday, January 31, 2020 | Men's Tennis
USTA PREVIEW | MATCH NOTES
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 2 University of Florida men's tennis team prepares for its annual Fresh from Florida Showdown bout with No. 21 Florida State, as the Gators and Seminoles will meet again in the USTA's nationally televised College MatchDay event, held at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla., for the fourth consecutive season on Saturday, Feb. 1.
First serve is slated for 5 p.m., as the rivalry match will air live on Tennis Channel Plus and will be rebroadcast on Tennis Channel at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2.
Ahead of Saturday's College MatchDay event, the first Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 rankings of the season were released on Wednesday, Jan. 29, as Florida is slotted at No. 3 in the nation, while the Seminoles were selected at No. 22. Meanwhile, in the latest Oracle/ITA National Team rankings also released on Wednesday, the Gators and Seminoles remained at their previous rankings of No. 2 and No. 21 respectively.
A capacity crowd is expected for this weekend's top-25 College MatchDay matchup between No. 2/3 Florida and No. 21/22 Florida State, as last year's match drew nearly 1,300 fans to the USTA National Campus. The Seminoles will look to avenge last year's 4-1 loss to Florida, though, they hold a 2-1 series advantage since the annual showdown shifted to Orlando.
Florida has won three of the past five meetings against Florida State, holding a two-match win streak against the Seminoles. However, the Gators look to even up the College MatchDay series tally, as FSU has won two of the past three in 2017 (4-2) and 2018 (4-3).
The two teams enter Saturday's match with identical 6-1 records, as both teams share a loss to on the year to No. 1 Texas. Despite the loss, the Gators have bounced back exceptionally to boost a four-match win streak upon sweeping 4-0 wins over Temple and USF during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Florida has gotten off to a superb start in doubles action on the year, having yet to drop a doubles point through seven matches with a 14-1 overall mark on the year. 14th-ranked Oliver Crawford and Sam Riffice pace the doubles corps with a flawless 4-0 mark at the No. 1 position, as Duarte Vale and Josh Goodger also remain unbeaten in No. 3 doubles at 3-0. Additionally, Johannes Ingildsen and Will Grant continue their solid play with a 4-1 record mostly at the No. 2 position.
The Gators have taken care of business thus far in singles play as well, having won 29 of 36 matches on the season, led by junior No. 17 Duarte Vale with a 5-1 record, including a 3-0 mark at No. 2 singles. Sophomore No. 4 Sam Riffice and junior Josh Goodger hold 4-1 marks on the year, mostly from the No. 2 and No. 4 position respectively, while No. 118 Blaise Bicknell (4-0) and Johannes Ingildsen (3-0) are undefeated on the year in both No. 5 and No. 6 singles. No. 72 Andy Andrade sits at 3-1 on the year, playing mainly at the No. 4 position, while No. 31 Oliver Crawford lies at 2-1 primarily from the No. 1 position.
SCOUTING THE SEMINOLES
No. 21/22 Florida State Seminoles (6-1, 0-0 ACC)
The Seminoles have opened the 2020 dual season on strong note, holding an identical 6-1 mark to UF, while recently sharing a loss to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, 4-0, in the ITA Kickoff Championship in Austin. Florida State returned eight returners from last year's NCAA tournament team, including No. 92 Rana-Roop Singh Bhular. Singh Bhular leads the Seminoles as the squad's lone ranked individual with a flawless 5-0 record in singles from multiple positions (No. 3, 5, 6). Sebastian Arcila follows with a 5-1 mark from the No. 3 and No. 4 slot, followed by Alex Knaff with a 3-2 record at the top spot. Marcus Walters (3-2) and Juan Jalif (2-2) round out the Seminoles' lineup, mostly from the No. 4 and No. 2 positions respectively.
COLLEGE MATCHDAY/BROADCAST INFO
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 2 University of Florida men's tennis team prepares for its annual Fresh from Florida Showdown bout with No. 21 Florida State, as the Gators and Seminoles will meet again in the USTA's nationally televised College MatchDay event, held at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla., for the fourth consecutive season on Saturday, Feb. 1.
First serve is slated for 5 p.m., as the rivalry match will air live on Tennis Channel Plus and will be rebroadcast on Tennis Channel at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2.
Ahead of Saturday's College MatchDay event, the first Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 rankings of the season were released on Wednesday, Jan. 29, as Florida is slotted at No. 3 in the nation, while the Seminoles were selected at No. 22. Meanwhile, in the latest Oracle/ITA National Team rankings also released on Wednesday, the Gators and Seminoles remained at their previous rankings of No. 2 and No. 21 respectively.
A capacity crowd is expected for this weekend's top-25 College MatchDay matchup between No. 2/3 Florida and No. 21/22 Florida State, as last year's match drew nearly 1,300 fans to the USTA National Campus. The Seminoles will look to avenge last year's 4-1 loss to Florida, though, they hold a 2-1 series advantage since the annual showdown shifted to Orlando.
Florida has won three of the past five meetings against Florida State, holding a two-match win streak against the Seminoles. However, the Gators look to even up the College MatchDay series tally, as FSU has won two of the past three in 2017 (4-2) and 2018 (4-3).
The two teams enter Saturday's match with identical 6-1 records, as both teams share a loss to on the year to No. 1 Texas. Despite the loss, the Gators have bounced back exceptionally to boost a four-match win streak upon sweeping 4-0 wins over Temple and USF during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Florida has gotten off to a superb start in doubles action on the year, having yet to drop a doubles point through seven matches with a 14-1 overall mark on the year. 14th-ranked Oliver Crawford and Sam Riffice pace the doubles corps with a flawless 4-0 mark at the No. 1 position, as Duarte Vale and Josh Goodger also remain unbeaten in No. 3 doubles at 3-0. Additionally, Johannes Ingildsen and Will Grant continue their solid play with a 4-1 record mostly at the No. 2 position.
The Gators have taken care of business thus far in singles play as well, having won 29 of 36 matches on the season, led by junior No. 17 Duarte Vale with a 5-1 record, including a 3-0 mark at No. 2 singles. Sophomore No. 4 Sam Riffice and junior Josh Goodger hold 4-1 marks on the year, mostly from the No. 2 and No. 4 position respectively, while No. 118 Blaise Bicknell (4-0) and Johannes Ingildsen (3-0) are undefeated on the year in both No. 5 and No. 6 singles. No. 72 Andy Andrade sits at 3-1 on the year, playing mainly at the No. 4 position, while No. 31 Oliver Crawford lies at 2-1 primarily from the No. 1 position.
SCOUTING THE SEMINOLES
No. 21/22 Florida State Seminoles (6-1, 0-0 ACC)
The Seminoles have opened the 2020 dual season on strong note, holding an identical 6-1 mark to UF, while recently sharing a loss to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, 4-0, in the ITA Kickoff Championship in Austin. Florida State returned eight returners from last year's NCAA tournament team, including No. 92 Rana-Roop Singh Bhular. Singh Bhular leads the Seminoles as the squad's lone ranked individual with a flawless 5-0 record in singles from multiple positions (No. 3, 5, 6). Sebastian Arcila follows with a 5-1 mark from the No. 3 and No. 4 slot, followed by Alex Knaff with a 3-2 record at the top spot. Marcus Walters (3-2) and Juan Jalif (2-2) round out the Seminoles' lineup, mostly from the No. 4 and No. 2 positions respectively.
- Series History: 59-22, UF leads (5-2 under Bryan Shelton)
- Last Meeting: May, 4, 2019 in Gainesville – W, 4-0
COLLEGE MATCHDAY/BROADCAST INFO
- Florida vs. Florida State is sold out; however tickets do not guarantee a seat. Arrive early to grab a spot. Gates will open at 4 p.m. for the match.
- The event will feature a Net Generation kids' clinic, plus other kids activities, live music, specialty food and drinks, games and giveaways.
- Time, Date & Location: Saturday, Feb. 1 | 5 p.m. | USTA National Campus
- TV: Tennis Channel (check local listings)
- Broadcast talent: Russ Thaler & Jan-Michael Gambill
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
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