Sunday, January 23
Gainesville, Fla.
12:30 PM
Florida Gators
vs
UCF
Gators Host No. 14 UCF in Home Opener
Friday, January 21, 2022 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 3 Florida Gators men's tennis team hosts No. 14 UCF in its home opener on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 12:30 p.m. This is the Gators' first home dual match of the season since winning the national championship back in May.
Last week, Florida opened its schedule with two top-five teams in No. 5 TCU and No. 3 Texas, splitting the matches and coming home with a 1-1 record.
Graduate Mattias Siimar had a great week in the Lone Star State after going undefeated, 4-0, with two ranked singles wins. He paired up with Andy Andrade at No. 3 doubles, where the duo won in both matches and even clinched the doubles point for the Gators against the Longhorns after being down 5-2 in the tiebreak. Siimar also went on to win both of his singles matches at court five against No. 33 Lui Maxted (TCU) and No. 73 Cleeve Harper (Texas) in straight sets.
The doubles tandem of Abedallah Shelbayh and Duarte Vale added another ranked win for Florida over the No. 13 team in the country, Richard Ciamarra and Harper, of Texas, 6-2.
Scouting the Opponent
This is the third time Florida is facing UCF in the 2021-22 season. During the fall, the Knights traveled to Gainesville twice for the Gator Fall Invite and the ITA Regional tournament. During the Gator Fall Invite, Florida won all three doubles matches against UCF, including a ranked victory when Siimar and Shelbayh defeated preseason No. 3 team, Trey Hilderbrand and Bogdan Pavel. In singles, the Gators took six of seven matches from the Knights.
At regionals, Andrade and Siimar defeated two UCF teams in doubles to reach the semifinals of competition. Andrade also another win over a Knight in the first round of singles.
UCF started the spring season at No. 11 in the ITA rankings, but dropped to No. 14 after falling to SEC-foe and No. 7-team Georgia, 1-6, last week. The Knights' lone win came at No. 6 singles as Pavel overtook UGA's Miguel Perez Pena, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4.
Opponents in the Rankings
Singles
No. 16 Trey Hilderbrand
Doubles
No. 22 Trey Hilderbrand/Bogdan Pavel
No. 41 Trey Hilderbrand/Lleyton Cronje
Gators in the rankings
Singles
No. 2 Ben Shelton
No. 61 Mattias Siimar
No. 79 Nate Bonetto
No. 107 Andy Andrade
No. 111 Josh Goodger
Doubles
No. 14 Abedallah Shelbayh/Mattias Siimar
No. 39 Andy Andrade/Duarte Vale
No. 51 Andy Andrade/Mattias Siimar
No. 55 Nate Bonetto/Lukas Greif
ATTENDANCE POLICY / TICKETS
Admission into the event is free. Parking will be available in the green lot at the tennis complex.
Fans can utilize clear bags to reduce touch points for entry gate staff. In the event of inclement weather, patrons will not be allowed into the indoor facility. Fans are also encouraged to wear masks at the event.
Access to the tennis building or the court is not permitted for any patrons.
The first 300 fans to arrive will get a free tennis pop socket, while everyone will also have an opportunity to take a picture with the National Championship trophy.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Last week, Florida opened its schedule with two top-five teams in No. 5 TCU and No. 3 Texas, splitting the matches and coming home with a 1-1 record.
Graduate Mattias Siimar had a great week in the Lone Star State after going undefeated, 4-0, with two ranked singles wins. He paired up with Andy Andrade at No. 3 doubles, where the duo won in both matches and even clinched the doubles point for the Gators against the Longhorns after being down 5-2 in the tiebreak. Siimar also went on to win both of his singles matches at court five against No. 33 Lui Maxted (TCU) and No. 73 Cleeve Harper (Texas) in straight sets.
The doubles tandem of Abedallah Shelbayh and Duarte Vale added another ranked win for Florida over the No. 13 team in the country, Richard Ciamarra and Harper, of Texas, 6-2.
Scouting the Opponent
This is the third time Florida is facing UCF in the 2021-22 season. During the fall, the Knights traveled to Gainesville twice for the Gator Fall Invite and the ITA Regional tournament. During the Gator Fall Invite, Florida won all three doubles matches against UCF, including a ranked victory when Siimar and Shelbayh defeated preseason No. 3 team, Trey Hilderbrand and Bogdan Pavel. In singles, the Gators took six of seven matches from the Knights.
At regionals, Andrade and Siimar defeated two UCF teams in doubles to reach the semifinals of competition. Andrade also another win over a Knight in the first round of singles.
UCF started the spring season at No. 11 in the ITA rankings, but dropped to No. 14 after falling to SEC-foe and No. 7-team Georgia, 1-6, last week. The Knights' lone win came at No. 6 singles as Pavel overtook UGA's Miguel Perez Pena, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4.
Opponents in the Rankings
Singles
No. 16 Trey Hilderbrand
Doubles
No. 22 Trey Hilderbrand/Bogdan Pavel
No. 41 Trey Hilderbrand/Lleyton Cronje
Gators in the rankings
Singles
No. 2 Ben Shelton
No. 61 Mattias Siimar
No. 79 Nate Bonetto
No. 107 Andy Andrade
No. 111 Josh Goodger
Doubles
No. 14 Abedallah Shelbayh/Mattias Siimar
No. 39 Andy Andrade/Duarte Vale
No. 51 Andy Andrade/Mattias Siimar
No. 55 Nate Bonetto/Lukas Greif
ATTENDANCE POLICY / TICKETS
Admission into the event is free. Parking will be available in the green lot at the tennis complex.
Fans can utilize clear bags to reduce touch points for entry gate staff. In the event of inclement weather, patrons will not be allowed into the indoor facility. Fans are also encouraged to wear masks at the event.
Access to the tennis building or the court is not permitted for any patrons.
The first 300 fans to arrive will get a free tennis pop socket, while everyone will also have an opportunity to take a picture with the National Championship trophy.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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
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