Riffice Boasts Semifinals Appearance at the Battle of Boca
Monday, January 3, 2022 | Men's Tennis
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Senior captain Sam Riffice rang in the new year with a bang after making a semifinals appearance in the Battle of Boca tournament on Jan. 1-2 after winning three matches.
The defending singles national champion, who came into the tournament as a 1-seed, claimed a first-round bye, then won his next two matches in decisive fashion on the first day of the tournament.
Riffice took on Marcus Antonelli in the second round, posting a double bagel with a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Moving on to the Round of 16, the Gator defeated his second opponent of the day in straight sets – this time overtaking Neel Epstein 6-1, 6-4.
In the quarterfinals the following day, Riffice competed against a familiar foe in SEC opponent and No. 8-seed, Spencer Gray of Auburn. Again, in two sets, Riffice would advance to the semifinals after winning 6-1, 6-3 over Gray.
The semifinals turned out to be a battle between Riffice and No. 7-seed Nicholas Godsick. Both went back and forth in the match, as Godsick claimed the first set with a 6-3 advantage and Riffice took the second set by the same score. It came down to a super tiebreak, where Godsick won in a close one, 10-6, and is now set to face Kentucky's Liam Draxl in the finals.
Florida's 2022 men's tennis season begins on Jan. 14 as the Gators take a road trip to Texas to face TCU in Fort Worth, followed by a dual match against the Longhorns in Austin on Jan. 16.
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The defending singles national champion, who came into the tournament as a 1-seed, claimed a first-round bye, then won his next two matches in decisive fashion on the first day of the tournament.
Riffice took on Marcus Antonelli in the second round, posting a double bagel with a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Moving on to the Round of 16, the Gator defeated his second opponent of the day in straight sets – this time overtaking Neel Epstein 6-1, 6-4.
In the quarterfinals the following day, Riffice competed against a familiar foe in SEC opponent and No. 8-seed, Spencer Gray of Auburn. Again, in two sets, Riffice would advance to the semifinals after winning 6-1, 6-3 over Gray.
The semifinals turned out to be a battle between Riffice and No. 7-seed Nicholas Godsick. Both went back and forth in the match, as Godsick claimed the first set with a 6-3 advantage and Riffice took the second set by the same score. It came down to a super tiebreak, where Godsick won in a close one, 10-6, and is now set to face Kentucky's Liam Draxl in the finals.
Florida's 2022 men's tennis season begins on Jan. 14 as the Gators take a road trip to Texas to face TCU in Fort Worth, followed by a dual match against the Longhorns in Austin on Jan. 16.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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