UF Men’s Tennis: No. 6 Gators Chomp Auburn, Mercer in Pair of Sweeps
Courtesy of UF Athletic Association
Florida had a trio of sweeps this weekend and opened the SEC slate 2-0.
The No. 6 Gators concluded a dominant weekend back on their home court at the Alfred A. Ring Complex, as UF recorded a pair of 7-0 sweeps over Auburn (9-8) and Mercer (3-10) on Sunday evening. Florida didn’t lose one single match between Sunday’s doubleheaders, as junior Brian Berdusco saw his first career dual win for the Gators en route to moving to 2-0 in conference play and 14-2 overall. Additionally, freshman Will Grant would pick up his second career singles win in clinching the Gators’ win over Mercer, as several Gators tallied multiple wins on the day.
UF began the day facing off with the Auburn Tigers, who were coming off a 5-2 loss at No. 23 South Carolina.
No. 33-ranked Johannes Ingildsen and Will Grant struck first in No. 2 doubles to start, downing Auburn’s Stice and Dollman, 6-3. Oliver Crawford and Sam Riffice would follow suit, as UF’s 14th-ranked No. 1 duo went on to also post a 6-3 decision over Tom Wright and Finn Murgett to shift gears into singles with the 1-0 lead.
Florida then proceeded to blitz the Tigers in singles, quickly clinching the match with the first three singles wins on courts six, one and two respectively.
No. 108 Lukas Greif dialed in the first win in No. 6 singles, extending a six-match win streak for the sophomore with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Diego Chavarria. No. 18 Oliver Crawford would follow with a straight-set effort over Tim Dollman – a singles finalist at the ITA Southern Regionals – 6-2, 6-4, to push UF’s lead to 3-0.
No. 4 Sam Riffice then secured the win on court two, 6-4, 6-1, over Tyler Stice to earn the Gators their second conference win of the season, as No. 84 Andy Andrade added another win at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-4, over Spencer Gray.
Josh Goodger would contribute with his third consecutive win at the No. 5 position, dropping Murgett, 7-6 (1), 6-2, while No. 21 Duarte Vale would finish things off in No. 3 singles, climbing back from a first-set loss to win in three sets, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, to cap the sweep.
Shortly after, the Gators welcomed in the Mercer Bears for the second match of the day, taking the doubles point en route to another singles surge resulting in a 7-0 effort.
Andy Andrade and Lukas Greif debuted at the No. 3 position for the match, dominating to earn the advantage for Florida with a 6-1 win over Mercer’s Arant and Wayenburg. Duarte Vale and Josh Goodger would get off to a slow start in No. 2 doubles, rebounding with three-straight games after trailing 5-1, though, Ingildsen and Grant went on to wrap things up on court one, 6-2, to give UF the doubles point.
With doubles wins in both matches, senior Johannes Ingildsen moves into seventh all-time in doubles wins, passing Bob van Overbeek (83) with 85 throughout his career.
Florida then competed from start to finish on all courts, ringing in win after win while seeing new faces in the lineup in Brian Berdusco and Will Grant.
Freshman No. 90 Blaise Bicknell kicked things off, blazing through Carver Arant in No. 6 singles, 6-1, 6-2. Bicknell remains undefeated on the year, as the rookie has yet to drop a dual singles match (7-0) with a 4-0 mark at the No. 6 position.
Next, Ingildsen downed Stathis Tsiranidis in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, at the No. 3 position, as the Copenhagen, Denmark native needs just two more singles win to reach 100 for his career – he is currently slotted ninth all-time in career singles wins (98).
Grant would then secure the Gators’ second clinch-clinch of the day in No. 6 singles, picking up his second career singles victory in straight sets over David Georgadze, 6-3, 6-4, to notch the 4-0 margin.
Moments later, junior Brian Berdusco wouldn’t disappoint in his first dual singles appearance for the blue and orange, as Berdusco competed hard in No. 5 singles to post a 6-2, 6-4 decision in his first dual singles victory over Mercer’s Wayenburg.
Lastly, No. 18 Crawford and No. 4 Riffice would finish side-by-side on courts one and two respectively, seeing Crawford down No. 46 Oliver Stuart, 6-1, 6-3, while Riffice closed the match with a 6-4, 6-3 effort over Hugo Lobo to seal the 7-0 win for the Gators.
The wins extend a five-match win streak for Riffice, while Crawford rides a three-match win streak heading into next weekend’s competition.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Bryan Shelton:
On today’s performances versus Auburn & Mercer…
“Overall, I thought it was pretty solid. There were some spots where we were a little spotty with our play, and there were spots where we were pretty solid from start to finish. So, it was a little bit of a mixed bag even though both scores were 7-0. I’m just pleased at how hard we compete, even if we’re not playing as well as we want to in certain spots. We just don’t let things go. Our guys are hungry, and they dig in late in sets and push themselves to come through. I think that just has helped our belief system … our guys believe in themselves and believe in one another, so their expectations are pretty high.”
On different lineups against Mercer and guys’ preparation…
“I thought those guys did phenomenal. I just can’t give those guys enough credit. Andy [Andrade] and Lukas [Greif] came in for the first time in doubles and played outstanding … played with great energy, they executed well, they did everything we want them to do. Those four guys that I put in the lineup as well. Will [Grant], in singles, he did a great job of competing and trusting his stuff and playing aggressively at the right times.
“As well as Brian Berdusco start to finish. Seeing him out there playing his first match and just firing on all cylinders, that was really cool to see that. And then the same thing with Blaise [Bicknell]. I thought that he really showed some good composure. He has a tendency to sometimes lose concentration and focus, so the challenge was for him to stay focused from start to finish and he did that today. So, pleased with him … and then Johannes [Ingildsen] getting back out there on the court. Was good to see him playing aggressively, coming forward and finishing at the net as much as he did today.”
On preparation for LSU & Texas A&M next week…
“It’s going to be a fun weekend on the road, so we’ll get a day off tomorrow and recharge a little bit. But then we have to have a good practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and then we’ll hit the road Thursday and practice there Thursday afternoon in Baton Rouge … and then get ready to battle. They’re going to be tough tough road matches, but I think our guys are really looking forward to it.”
UP NEXT:
* The Gators prepare for their first conference road trip next weekend, traveling to face LSU in Baton Rouge on Fri., Mar. 6, at 6 p.m. ET. Then, Florida will travel to College Station to square off with Texas A&M on Sunday, Mar. 8, for a 2 p.m. ET start.
#6 University of Florida 7, Auburn 0
Singles competition – 6, 1, 2, 4, 5, 3 (Order of finish)
1. #18 Oliver Crawford (UF) def. Tim Dollman (AUBURN) 6-2, 6-4
2. #4 Sam Riffice (UF) def. Tyler Stice (AUBURN) 6-4, 6-1
3. #21 Duarte Vale (UF) def. Tom Wright (AUBURN) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
4. #84 Andy Andrade (UF) def. Spencer Gray (AUBURN) 6-2, 6-4
5. Josh Goodger (UF) def. Finn Murgett (AUBURN) 7-6 (7-1), 6-2
6. #108 Lukas Greif (UF) def. Diego Chavarria (AUBURN) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition – 2, 1, (Order of finish)
1. #14 Oliver Crawford/Sam Riffice (UF) def. Tom Wright/Finn Murgett (AUBURN) 6-3
2. #33 Will Grant/Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Tyler Stice/Tim Dollman (AUBURN) 6-3
3. Duarte Vale/Josh Goodger (UF) vs. Anders Fry/Diego Chavarria (AUBURN) 5-4, unfinished
#6 University of Florida 7, Mercer 0
Singles competition – 4, 3, 6, 5, 1, 2 (Order of finish)
1. #18 Oliver Crawford (UF) def. #46 Olivier Stuart (MER) 6-1, 6-3
2. #4 Sam Riffice (UF) def. Hugo Lobo (MER) 6-4, 6-3
3. Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. Stathis Tsiranidis (MER) 6-2, 6-1
4. #90 Blaise Bicknell (UF) def. Carver arant (MER) 6-1, 6-2
5. Brian Berdusco (UF) def. Lucas Wayenburg (MER) 6-2, 6-4
6. Will Grant (UF) def. David Georgadze (MER) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition – 3, 1 (Order of finish)
1. #33 Johannes Ingildsen/Will Grant (UF) def. Olivier Stuart/Hugo Lobo (MER) 6-2
2. Josh Goodger/Duarte Vale (UF) vs. Stathis Tsiranidis/David Georgadze (MER) 4-5, unfinished
3. Andy Andrade/Lukas Greif (UF) def. Carver arant/Lucas Wayenburg (MER) 6-1