MEMPHIS, Tenn. (April 23, 2016) – The University of South Florida men's tennis team advanced to the American Championship final for the third consecutive season Saturday afternoon by defeating Tulane, 4-2, at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center.
“It was a tough effort, Tulane never really went away and we knew that about them,” said head coach Matt Hill. “They are great competitors as a group, so it was a huge effort on our guys all across the board.”
The No. 17 Bulls (19-8) trailed in early in the match as they dropped the doubles point. The USF pairing of Dominic Cotrone (Bradenton, Fla.) and Peter Bertran (Santiago, Dominican Republic) struck first in doubles with a strong 6-2 win. Tulane would respond by picking up a win on court one to even the match.
With doubles tied, all eyes focused on court three featuring seniors Roberto Cid (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz (Gijon Asturas, Spain). The Bulls tandem held a slight 5-4 lead in the match but Tulane bounced back to tie the match and force a tiebreak. In an intense back and forth tiebreak, Tulane would eventually rally to win the match 7-6 (8-6) and secure the doubles point.
Despite dropping the doubles point, USF showed its championship resiliency by fighting back in singles. The first Bull to tally was sophomore Peter Bertran on court four. Bertran was impressive for the second straight day as he defeated his opponent 6-2, 6-2.
Tulane answered with a win on court two to put them back in the lead. USF would not give up as junior Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (Donetsk, Ukraine) countered with a big win on court six to even the match once again. Kalyuzhnyy picked up a 7-5, 6-2 straight set win.
The marquee matchup of the day was on court one featuring No. 4 Cid and No. 2 Dominik Koepfer of Tulane. Cid came into the match determined and looked sharp all day. Cid would rally in the second set to win the match in straight sets 6-2, 7-5.
“It was a hug match, you have the No. 2 player in the country and the No. 4 player in the country, it's just great tennis,” said Hill. “Tulane counts on that point, they are so used to winning that point, so when we take that point it hurts them as a group.”
The final point of the afternoon for the Bulls was clinched on court five by Gonzalez-Muniz. The senior trailed early in the first set but would not be denied. Gonzalez-Muniz fought back to win 6-4, 6-3.
The Bulls are heading back to the American Championship final for the third straight year. USF will be in pursuit of a historic three-peat. With a win on Sunday, the Bulls will have won every American Championship since the inaugural tournament in 2014.
“This is what we train for all year, this is why we do all the extra stuff, we are excited and we don't take it for granted,” said Hill. “Especially this year with the league being this tough, so we are ready to prepare, get our bodies ready and come out tomorrow.”
The No. 1 seed Bulls are back in action in Sunday, April 23, as they take on the No. 2 seed Tulsa. The match against the Golden Hurricane will be a rematch from last season's American Championship final. Last season USF shutout Tulsa, 4-0, in Tulsa, Okla.
The programs are very familiar with each other this season as well. The Bulls and Golden Hurricane squared-off on April 15 in Tulsa, Okla. USF once again got the better of Tulsa as they took the win 7-0.
“They are very good, they didn't have a full lineup against us last time, so that last score is not indicative of their level or what we will see tomorrow,” said Hill. “We know they are very good, they are well coached and they have great players, it's going to be an absolute war.”
Tomorrow's American Championship final will be streamed live on the American Digital Network. For more information on the live stream, visit the American Digital Network HERE.
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.
