The University of South Florida men's tennis team picked up its 10th win of the season with a 4-3 victory over UCF on Sunday at the Rice Invitational in Houston, Texas. The Bulls completed spring break week with a 5-2 record.
"We had a long stretch of matches recently, and this was a good way to finish up," USF head coach Don Barr said. "The guys did a good job and battled hard today. I'm always pleased to get a win over a rival and a good team."
Yannick Yoshizawa clinched the match for USF with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 win over Mitch Thams in the fifth position. Juan Carlos Acuna Gerard had rallied from a tough first set to win his match over Mario Samson, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and even the match at three points.
Wael Kilani brought the Bulls back from a 3-1 deficit with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Claudio Romano in the No. 2 position. Lucas Jovita was the other winner for the Bulls, earning a 6-3, 6-4 win at the top spot over Erik Brunksong.
In the middle of the lineups, UCF's Blake Schwartz beat Romain Deridder 7-6 (5), 7-6(5), and Joe Delinks downed Federico Sabogal, 6-2, 6-3.
The Bulls also dropped the doubles point to begin the match. Schwartz and Delinks clinched the point for the Knights with a 9-8 (8-6) victory over Jovita and Jamal Adderley in the No. 1 doubles spot. Yoshizawa and Deridder fell to Matthew Zachary and Euegene Dolgovykh, 8-5, in the No. 2 position, while Kilani and Sebastian Hagn defeated Romano and Thams 8-6 in the final doubles match.
USF returns to action on Thursday vs. DePaul at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.
USF 4, UCF 3
March 20, 2011
Rice Invitational
Singles
1. Lucas Jovita (USF) def. Erik Brunksog (UCF), 6-3, 6-4
2. Wael Kilani (USF) def. Claudio Romano (UCF), 4-6,6-4, 6-3
3. Blaze Schwartz (UCF) def. Romain Deridder (USF), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5)
4. Joe Delinks (UCF) def. Federico Sabogal (USF), 6-2, 6-3
5. Yannick Yohsizawa (USF) def. Mitch Thams (UCF), 7-6 (6), 7-5
6. Juan Carlos Acuna Gerard (USF) def. Mario Samson (UCF), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Order of Finish – 4, 1, 3, 2, 6, 5
Doubles
1. Schwartz/Delinks (UCF) def. Jovita/Adderley (USF), 9-8 (8-6)
2. Matthew Zachary/Eugene Dolgovykh (UCF) def. Yoshizawa/Deridder (USF), 8-5
3. Kilani/Hagn (USF) def. Romano/Thams (UCF), 8-6
Order of Finish – 2, 1, 3
