TAMPA -- The University of South Florida men's tennis team managed a spilt of its dual matches in Tucson, Arizona this weekend. The Bulls fell on Friday afternoon to the No. 45 ranked Arizona Wildcats,5-2, but bounced back to defeat No. 55 St. Mary's University, by a decisive 6-1 margin.
On Friday, the Bulls would not have much luck against Arizona. In doubles action, sophomore Jamal Adderley and freshman Yannick Yoshizawa would register the Bulls lone doubles victory in the Bulls No. 3 position by defeating the UA duo of Jay Goldman and Jason Zafiros, 9-7.
The Bulls came within a tiebreak of claiming the doubles point, but the No. 15 duo of Lucas Jovita and Thomas Estrada fell to the No. 18 pairing of Pat Metham and Francois VanderMerwe 9-8(7-3).
The Bulls would head into singles action trailing, 1-0.
Needing four singles wins to win the dual, the Bulls leader and the nation's 27th ranked singles player, Lucas Jovita, would get the Bulls a point in the No. 1 slot by disposing of Jay Goldman in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
The Bulls would also get a point from freshman Wael Kilani in the No. 4 postion, as he defeated Andres Carrasco, 6-2, 6-0, but that would be all as the Bulls would drop four of the six singles matches.
With the sunrise on Saturday came a new day and for that matter a new team... a dominant Bulls team.
Beginning with the opening serve, the Bulls completely overwhelmed St. Mary's in doubles play. As Estrada and Jovita took care of Olivan, Maxime/Tirelli (SMC) 8-6 in the No. 1 slot. Then the No. 58 duo Kilani and Deridder won, 6-4, over Christiner and Dawson-Roberts, 8-4.
Adderley and Yoshizawa capped off the doubles point with a 8-4 win.
With the doubles point in hand, the Bulls would continue to roll through the Gaels singles line-up. USF won five of the possible six singles points.
Jovita would go 2-0 on the weekend by battling back to beat Lucas Tirelli, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
After being the Bulls lone singles win a day earlier, Kilani would bump up to the second position to take care of Max Olivan, 6-4, 6-2. Senior Mahmoud Hamed, who has provided steady play so far, would hold down the No. 3 position with a 6-0,6-2 victory over Achim Christner. Romain Deridder need three sets to take care of Gavin Leon by a score of 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Pushing into the back end of the starting line-up was freshman Mark Olijaca and in doing so, he made a case to stay by registering a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Sherif Hamdy.
With the win over the Gaels on Saturday afternoon coach Don Barr's No. 34-ranked Bulls push their record to 3-2 on the season. After two consecutive weekends on the road, the Bulls will return to the friendly confines of the USF Varsity Tennis Courts February 15 when they welcome Georgia State University for a dual match.
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No. 45 Arizona 5, No. 34 USF 2
Doubles:
1) No. 18 Pat Metham/Francois VanderMerwe (UA) def. No. 15 Lucas Jovita/Thomas Estrada (USF) Metham/Francois VanderMerwe 9-8(7-3)
2) Ravid Hazi/Andres Arango (UA) def. Romain Deridder and Wael Kilani (USF) 8-4
3) Jamal Adderley/Yannick Yoshizawa (USF) def. Jay Goldman/Jason Zafiros (UA) 9-7
Order: 2, 3, 1
Singles:
1) Lucas Jovita (USF) def. Jay Goldman (UA) 6-2, 6-4
2) Andres Arango (UA) def. Mahmoud Hamed (USF) 6-0, 6-4
3) Ravid Hazi (UA) def. Romain Deridder (USF) 6-3, 6-4*
4) Wael Kilani (USF) def. Andres Carrasco (UA) 6-2, 6-0
5) Pat Metham (UA) def Jamal Adderley (USF) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
6) Jason Zafiros (UA) def. Thomas Estrada (USF) 6-4, 7-5
Order: 2, 4, 6, 3, 5, 1
No. 34 USF 6, No. 55 St. Mary's 1
Singles:
1. JOVITA, Lucas (SF) def. TIRELLI, Lucas (SMC) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
2. KILANI, Wael (SF) def. OLIVAN, Maxime (SMC) 6-4, 6-2
3. HAMED, Mahmoud (SF) def. CHRISTNER, Achim (SMC) 6-0, 6-2
4. DERIDDER, Romain (SF) def. LEON, Gavin (SMC) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
5. ZANNONI, Andrea (SMC) def. YOSHIZAWA, Yannick (SF) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
6. OLJACA, Mark (SF) def. HAMDY, Sherif (SMC) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Doubles:
1. ESTRADA, Thomas/JOVITA, Lucas (SF) def. OLIVAN, Maxime/TIRELLI, Lucas (SMC) 8-6
2. KILANI, Wael/DERIDDER, Romain (SF) def. CHRISTNER, Achim/DAWSON-ROBERTS, Stev (SMC) 8-4
3. ADDERLEY, Jamal/YOSHIZAWA, Yannick (SF) def. LUCK, Mike/LEON, Gavin (SMC) 8-4