Men’s Tennis Bested by Florida in ITA Finals

Sunday, January 27

Gainesville, Fla.

7:15 PM

Florida Atlantic

Florida

Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com

1/28/2019 12:19:00 AM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After an eight-hour delay to start and a move indoors, the Florida Atlantic University men's tennis team was topped by No. 4 Florida in the finals of ITA Kickoff Weekend late Saturday.

Notables:

Weather necessitated the Owls (4-4) and Gators having to begin at about 7:15 p.m., after what was originally supposed to be an 11 a.m. start. The three indoor courts played to an FAU advantage to start, winning the doubles point
After dropping the first battle, the No. 1 pairing of Jason Legall and Ignacio Garcia tied it with a 6-1 win
Then, the No. 2 combo of Gabriel Sidney and Mehdi Laalej took a 7-5 victory for a 2-1 doubles edge and the first point of the match
UF got wins in the top three singles flights, and after a changeover to No. 4-6, got the singles sweep at No. 5

Quotable:
Head Coach Ricardo Gonzalez
"I am extremely pleased with the way we competed this weekend. Not only do I see improvement in all of our games; but I also see improvement in our team chemistry, which drives more fight and grit during competition.

"The match against Louisville was a great start to the weekend. We were tested early in doubles but our No. 1 and No. 3 teams stepped up to get the W's. Jason (Legall) and Nachi (Ignacio Garcia) did their thing once again. They connect so well and trust each other to do their part on the court.

"Thomas (Guy) and Kirac (Bekisoglu) on the other had never paired up as a doubles team. They looked very comfortable playing together and I am very happy with their performance. I am sure they will continue to have many good moments together.

"Singles play didn't get any easier but our guys kept the energy up and never looked back. This was a great win over a very good Louisville team.

"Today we played one of the best teams in the country who not only is a strong contender to win the SEC Championship, but to win the NCAA Championship. Our boys really showed up to the challenge and believed that they had a shot. This belief was extremely important for our boys to take the doubles point and play some great tennis. In singles play, we knew it was going to be another challenge. We had some opportunities early on at No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6, but weren't able to take advantage of them. Florida was the better team today. They are a class act team and I am sure they will go very far this year. Credit to their coaches who are doing a phenomenal job with that program."

Full Results:
Florida 4, FAU 1
Doubles
1. Jason Legall/Ignacio Garcia (FAU) def. McClain Kessler/Duarte Vale (UF) 6-1
2. Gabriel Sidney/Mehdi Laalej (FAU) def. Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (UF) 7-5
3. Oliver Crawford/Sam Riffice (UF) def. Kirac Bekisoglu/Thomas Guy (FAU) 6-1

Singles
1. Oliver Crawford (UF) def. Jason Legall (FAU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Andres Andrade (UF) def. Kirac Bekisoglu (FAU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Sam Riffice (UF) def. Gabriel Sidney (FAU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Johannes Ingildsen (UF) vs. Mehdi Laalej (FAU) 7-5, unfinished
5. Duarte Vale (UF) def. Ignacio Garcia (FAU) 6-4, 6-1
6. McClain Kessler (UF) vs. Alvaro Fernandez Horta (FAU) 6-3, 3-4, unfinished

What's Next:
The Owls will not have a match next weekend, returning to competition for two road matches Feb. 9-10. First up, that Saturday, is Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers at 5 p.m. The following day, the Owls head to Tampa for a 1:30 p.m. contest against USF.