Four Florida men’s teams qualified for the NCAA Men’s Division I Tennis Championships this year, and after the four beat-up on each other in regional play, only the University of Florida emerged triumphant, advancing into the round of 16.
After rolling over Florida Gulf Coast University 4-0 in the first round at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, the Gator men likewise blanked Florida State University 4-0 to move into the round of 16, which will also be held in Gainesville beginning on Saturday.
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UF, the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, improved to 23-3 on the season and will on Saturday face No. 14 seed Tennessee (22-7).
“To be able to be one of the top seeds and be able to play in front of our crowd here at home, that’s always a huge help,” UF coach Bryan Shelton said.
Florida senior Alfredo Perez, a former USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Junior State Singles Championships winner, clinched the match over FSU with a 7-6(4), 6-2 win over Richard Thongoana at No. 4 singles.
“It wasn’t easy,” Perez said. “I was going to be upset if I was up 5-1 again and not be able to finish like yesterday. But thank God I was able to stay concentrated and get the job done for the team. It’s always good to beat FSU.”
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Tennessee ended Florida’s 15-match winning streak and handed the Gators their lone home loss in April. FSU in their opening-round match defeating the University of Central Florida 4-3.
With a roster containing only one junior and no seniors, the young UCF Knights team (15-11 this season) is primed to climb even higher in the 2019-20 season.
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