MEMPHIS, Tenn. (April 22, 2016) – Under clear blue skies, the University of South Florida men's tennis team defeated East Carolina, 4-0, Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the American Championships at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center.
“I was pleased with the way our guys competed today from start to finish,” said head coach Matt Hill. “We didn't know these guys very well and they have some really good young players, so I thought the guys handled the situation really well.”
The No. 17 Bulls (18-8) came out strong and took the first two doubles matches from ECU. No. 34 Sasha Gozun (Orhei, Moldova) and Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (Donetsk, Ukraine) made quick work of their opponent in the premiere position for USF. The tandem cruised to an impressive 6-1 win.
The Pirates (11-13) rallied on court three but it wasn't enough against Bulls duo of Roberto Cid (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and Everth Dzib (Yucatan State, Mexico). After trailing 3-0, ECU took the next two sets to tighten the match. Cid and Dzib would answer with three straight sets to take a 6-2 victory.
After seizing momentum in doubles, No.4 Cid would strike first for the Bulls in singles. The senior took his match in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. Winner of his last seven matches, Cid now sits at 21-2 on the season in singles play.
Playing on court four, sophomore Peter Bertran (Santiago, Dominican Republic) notched the third point for USF. The sophomore looked sharp all afternoon as he defeated his opponent 6-2, 6-2. The victory gives Bertran 14 wins on the season.
The fourth and final point of the day was clinched by junior Sasha Gozun. The junior had his serve working all day as he took a 6-3, 6-4 win on court two. Gozun now sits at 14-8 in singles this season.
USF cruised to the win in the quarterfinals, but the team knows things will only get harder heading into the semifinals.
“There will be some adversity thrown our way in this tournament and we are going to have to deal with that and handle that well,” said Hill. “We need to expect that, so when the adversity comes, we are not surprised, because it's how we respond that is going to gives us our best chance.”
The No. 1 seed Bulls are back in action Saturday, April 23, as they take on No. 4 seed Tulane at 10 a.m. ET. Tulane is a very familiar opponent for USF as the two teams squared off two weeks ago on April 10. The match was held in New Orleans, La. and the Bulls took a 5-2 victory. The Green Wave also have an experienced roster that includes the No. 2 ranked player in the country.
For more information on the USF men's tennis program, follow @USFBullsMTennis on Twitter and you can find more information about the American Championships HERE.
