Gators Impress at M15 Naples Tournament
Sunday, October 17, 2021 | Men's Tennis
NAPLES, Fla. – The M15 Naples tournament saw three current and former Gators in the doubles finals as Abedallah Shelbayh won the doubles championships with his partner, Bruno Kuzuhara, against Duarte Vale and Johannes Ingildsen.
Shelbayh and Kuzuhara, who competed with Ben Shelton and won the doubles title at the USTA Boys' 18 & 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the summer, took on Jesse Witten and Liam Draxl (ITA No. 1 player) in the first round of doubles competition. The Shelbayh/Kuzuhara pair easily won their match, 6-2, 6-2, to move on to the quarterfinals, where they reached the semifinals after a walkover by their opponents.
In the semifinals, Shelbayh and Kuzuhard battled Federico Bertuccioli and Marco De Rossi. The duo won the first set, 6-1, before dropping the second set, 6-3. The pair would advance to the finals with a 10-7 super tiebreak score.
On the other side of the doubles bracket, Vale and former Gator teammate, Ingildsen grouped together. The duo defeated their first-round opponents, Fletcher Scott and Juan David Velasquez, by scores of 6-2 and 6-3 to move on to the quarterfinals. Then, easily won their second-round match by 6-2 scores against Alan Kohen and Juan Ignacio Galarza.
Vale and Ingildsen took on the No. 1-seeded doubles pair, Louroi Martinez and Damien Wenger, in the semifinals and pulled out a straight-set win, 6-0, 6-1, en route to an almost all-Gators final. Shelbayh and Kuzuhara were able to outlast the Vale/Ingildsen pair by scores of 6-4, 6-1 to win the doubles championship at the tournament.
Over in singles, Vale's first round match in the main draw was a quick one. In 59 minutes, Vale took down Velasquez, 6-1, 6-0. In his second-round singles match, Vale defeated ATP No. 732 player and No. 5-seed, Galarza, 6-2, 7-5. Vale took on teammate Ingildsen in the quarterfinals and was able to pull away with a 6-4, 6-3 victory to advance to the semifinals, where he then defeated Blu Baker, 7-6 (2), 6-3. In the finals, Vale put up a fight against ITF No. 1 juniors player, Juncheng Shang, but dropped the match, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Shelbayh joined Vale in winning his first and second round singles matches after downing both ATP No. 279 player, Rubin Statham, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and ATP No. 787 player/No. 7-seed, Ezekiel Clark, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, in three-set battles.
Josh Goodger posted a couple wins in the qualifying singles round, starting with a dominant win over Chukwudumebi Smarty, 6-0, 6-1. He then took on the ITA No. 29 player from Tennessee, Martim Prata, in the second round of qualifying. The Gator pulled out the victory with a tiebreak in the first set, 7-6 (5) and a 6-1 score in the second set.
Goodger and Will Grant also paired up for doubles competition as they advanced to the quarterfinals with a first-round win over Prata and Blaise Bicknell, 6-2, 6-3.
Shelbayh and Kuzuhara, who competed with Ben Shelton and won the doubles title at the USTA Boys' 18 & 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the summer, took on Jesse Witten and Liam Draxl (ITA No. 1 player) in the first round of doubles competition. The Shelbayh/Kuzuhara pair easily won their match, 6-2, 6-2, to move on to the quarterfinals, where they reached the semifinals after a walkover by their opponents.
In the semifinals, Shelbayh and Kuzuhard battled Federico Bertuccioli and Marco De Rossi. The duo won the first set, 6-1, before dropping the second set, 6-3. The pair would advance to the finals with a 10-7 super tiebreak score.
On the other side of the doubles bracket, Vale and former Gator teammate, Ingildsen grouped together. The duo defeated their first-round opponents, Fletcher Scott and Juan David Velasquez, by scores of 6-2 and 6-3 to move on to the quarterfinals. Then, easily won their second-round match by 6-2 scores against Alan Kohen and Juan Ignacio Galarza.
Vale and Ingildsen took on the No. 1-seeded doubles pair, Louroi Martinez and Damien Wenger, in the semifinals and pulled out a straight-set win, 6-0, 6-1, en route to an almost all-Gators final. Shelbayh and Kuzuhara were able to outlast the Vale/Ingildsen pair by scores of 6-4, 6-1 to win the doubles championship at the tournament.
Over in singles, Vale's first round match in the main draw was a quick one. In 59 minutes, Vale took down Velasquez, 6-1, 6-0. In his second-round singles match, Vale defeated ATP No. 732 player and No. 5-seed, Galarza, 6-2, 7-5. Vale took on teammate Ingildsen in the quarterfinals and was able to pull away with a 6-4, 6-3 victory to advance to the semifinals, where he then defeated Blu Baker, 7-6 (2), 6-3. In the finals, Vale put up a fight against ITF No. 1 juniors player, Juncheng Shang, but dropped the match, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Shelbayh joined Vale in winning his first and second round singles matches after downing both ATP No. 279 player, Rubin Statham, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and ATP No. 787 player/No. 7-seed, Ezekiel Clark, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, in three-set battles.
Josh Goodger posted a couple wins in the qualifying singles round, starting with a dominant win over Chukwudumebi Smarty, 6-0, 6-1. He then took on the ITA No. 29 player from Tennessee, Martim Prata, in the second round of qualifying. The Gator pulled out the victory with a tiebreak in the first set, 7-6 (5) and a 6-1 score in the second set.
Goodger and Will Grant also paired up for doubles competition as they advanced to the quarterfinals with a first-round win over Prata and Blaise Bicknell, 6-2, 6-3.
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