TAMPA (Nov. 23, 2015)-- Head men's tennis coach Matt Hill announced Monday the signing of Benjamin Hannestad and Mathieu Scaglia to National Letters of Intent for the 2016-2017 season.

Hannestad (Denmark) and Scaglia (France) both hail from Europe, adding two more countries to the Bulls' already incredibly diverse squad. USF's team for the 2016 season features athletes from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Moldova, Spain, Ukraine, England and the Bahamas.

Currently training in Bradenton, Fla. at IMG Academy, Hannestad is originally from Vedbaek, Denmark and was ranked No. 1 in the country. Currently, he is ranked No. 47 in the world on the ITF Junior Circuit and has been ranked as highly as No. 45.

“Benjamin has all the characteristics we look for when recruiting a player,” Hill said. “He is a great competitor, exudes great character and work ethic, along with having a ridiculously high ceiling which he has already proven on some huge stages around the world.  Our makeup next year will be a very large group of young players so we see him as not only an immediate impact on the court but in the locker room as well in terms of leadership.  We couldn't be more excited to have Benjamin apart of the program next year so we can continue to build the tradition of this great program.”

Scaglia hails from Frejus, France, training and the Mouratoglou Academy in Nice, France. He has won numerous men's tournaments in France as a younger competitor.

“Mathieu fits perfectly with what we want when we are recruiting players from all around the world,” Hill said. “He is one of the best players in his age group in one of the strongest countries in the world as it relates to tennis.  He is incredibly young and motivated to improve his tennis to the next level, and he has the athleticism and tools to get there.   Mathieu's results and ranking in France speak for themselves, and as we got to know Mathieu better we knew right away this is a player who fit in with what this program is all about. Mathieu is going to make a huge impact on this young team next year and we can't wait to have him in the program. “

The USF men's tennis program is currently coming off its second straight American Athletic Conference Championship and an appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Bulls advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history and return five of six starters for the 2016 season. The spring season kicks off on Jan. 29 when the Bulls host FSU in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

- #GoBulls -