ORLANDO (April 22, 2017) – A stunning simultaneous finish by Alberto Barroso-Campos and Sasha Gozun secured a spot for USF in Sunday's American Athletic Conference championship match for the fourth straight year. The match will be played at noon at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
The Bulls kicked off the semifinal match with doubles where juniors Peter Bertran (Santiago, Dominican Republic) and Justin Roberts (Nassau, Bahamas) dominated the No. 2 spot only allowing one point by Memphis, 6-1.
After the victory on two, star duo No. 51 senior Gozun (Orhei, Moldova) and sophomore Barroso-Campos (Montijo, Spain) earned a crucial break point to clinch doubles, 6-3 on court one, and send the Bulls to singles with the lead.
USF had a slow start in singles play with three dropping the first set. However, momentum began sweeping the courts after a dominant performance by Barroso-Campos and quick hands by Bertran earned first-set wins on courts three and four.
A consistent force for the Bulls, Bertran posted a pair of 6-4 wins for the first singles point, and freshman Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, Fla.) rallied from a 5-1 deficit to earn an important set on court six, 7-5, and earn a straight-set win, 6-3. Wojcik's win would position the Bulls just one point away from victory.
With a spot in the championships on the line, Gozun and Barroso-Campos worked their matches with intensity. Gozun dropped his first set, but adjusted in the second to close it out, 6-1, and move on to a third.
Meanwhile, Barroso-Campos had shut out his opponent 6-0 in the first set, but faced a more challenging second set. He took his match to a tiebreak that stood even at six points all, a break and a hold would clinch the match 6-0, 7-6(6)and almost simultaneously, Gozun would finish his match with a win at the No. 1 spot, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Up Next:
The USF men's tennis team will continue their pursuit of their fourth American Athletic Conference title with the championship match Sunday at noon. There will be a live broadcast here, and live stats here.
Be sure to follow USF men's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head coach Ashley Fisher will begin his first year at the helm of the program for the 2017 season after serving as an assistant coach in 2016. The USF men's tennis program has won three consecutive American Athletic Conference Championships and advanced to three straight NCAA tournaments.
– #GoBulls –
