TAMPA (Jan. 23, 2016)--A cold and blistery day couldn't stop the 13th-ranked USF men's tennis team as they put on a show for an in-state battle against No. 31 Florida State. With the match deadlocked at three-all, junior Sasha Gozun won an impressive three-set match to clinch the victory for the Bulls.
The crowd rallied behind Gozun (Orhei, Moldova), as he faced Michael Rinaldi in a tremendous match. The first set resulted in a tiebreaker loss for Gozun, but he took over the next two, winning 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-1.
“The crowd helped a lot,” Gozun said. “We had a huge crowd this match and the team was pumping me up. I knew if I could've gotten to the third set, I would've won.”
Defending American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, No. 13 Roberto Cid (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), returned to form, defeating No. 25 Benjamin Lock in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
“Roberto did an exceptional job against one of the best players in the country,” head coach Matt Hill said. “He really fought his way through that match and handled the situation and environment really well.”
This matchup did include a friendlier side of things, as senior transfer Dominic Cotrone (Bradenton, Fla.) faced off against his former Seminole teammates. Cotrone would ultimately take down his old teammate, Marco Nunez, 6-2, 6-2.
“I was telling him after the match, as a coach, you don't know how that's going to play out with so many emotions involved. I mean he's got friends on the team, it's just a lot going on in his head during that match,” Hill said. “I told him what an exceptional job being a professional, taking care of business, and sticking to the plan that was put forth before him.”
Vadym Kalyuzhnyy picked up the Bulls second point of the day with a straight set victory over Jose Gracia.
USF (1-0) dropped the doubles point after falling on courts one and three, but the four singles wins would be enough to seal the win and place USF in the championship match Sunday.
“It takes a lot to beat Florida State in the first place, to drop to doubles against them and still get the win,” Hill said. “It's a huge accomplishment for these guys.”
By defeating FSU, the Bulls will face LSU tomorrow at 2 p.m. for a berth in the ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Championship in Charlottesville, Va.
For more information on the USF men's tennis program, follow @USFBullsMTennis on Twitter.
