Bulls Win First Match of the Season, Clinch Spot in ITA Regional Championship
TAMPA (Jan. 27, 2018) – Senior
Peter Bertran (Santiago, Dominican Republic) clinched the USF men's tennis team's first win of the season against Pepperdine in dramatic fashion with a third-set, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, victory on court three.
The Bulls (1-2) fell behind in doubles for the first time this season, but they wouldn't let the setback diminish their resolve. Pepperdine made quick work on court four, defeating
Sean Burnette (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) in straight sets (6-1, 6-1), but sophomore
Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, Fla.) fired back, 6-2, 6-4 on court five to put USF on the board.
Sophomore
Pierre Luquet (Draguignan, France) had an impressive win defeating his opponent 6-4 in set one, complimented by a 6-0 shutout to take court six.
USF took the lead when junior
Alberto Barroso-Campos (Montijo, Spain) earned the Bulls' third singles point with a straight-set victory on court two (6-4, 6-3).
Senior
Grayson Goldin fought No. 100 Dennis Uspensky (Atlantic Beach, N.Y.) to a tiebreak to decide the first set, working his way to a 6-6 standoff in the breaker. He ultimately fell, 7-6(6), 6-1.
Tied, 3-3, both teams would depend on the No. 3 spot to win the match. For the Bulls, Bertran defeated Pepperdine's Yusuf Khamis (Cairo, Egypt), 6-2, in the first set. Khamis would fire back, 4-6, sending the pair into a third set. Bertran took a significant lead in set three, up 5-1, but Khamis was able to break and hold to fight to a 5-3 score before Bertran would get the chance to serve again. Bertran put the match away with a 6-3, third-set win, USF's first of the season.
In doubles, Bertran and Wojcik won on court three, 6-1, but Pepperdine clinched the point with wins on courts one and two.
Quotable:
Head coach Ashley Fisher on the win...
"I'm Proud of the men today, the way they fought hard down the stretch. We continue to have daily conversations about what it looks like to be a champion competitor, and the guys made some progress today. We are excited for the opportunity tomorrow against Florida."
Results:
Singles
1. No. 100 Uspensky (PEPP) def. Goldin (USF) 7-6(6), 6-2
2. Barroso-Campos (USF) def. Berdusco (PEPP) 6-4, 6-4
3. Bertran (USF) def. Kahmis (PEPP) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
4. Esses (PEPP) def. Burnette (USF) 6-1, 6-1
5. Wojcik (USF) def. Mendelsohn (PEPP) 6-2, 6-4
6. Luquet (USF) def. Baez (PEPP) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles
1. Uspensky/Baez (PEPP) def. Goldin/Barroso-Campos (USF) 6-3
2. Esses/Berdusco (PEPP) def. Burnette/Luquette (USF) 6-2
3. Bertran/ Wojcik def. Khamis/Mendelsohn (PEPP) 6-1
Order of finish: D: 1, 3, 2 / S: 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 3
Up Next:
USF will be back on the courts at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon to battle No. 9 Florida in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Regional Championship. The teams will fight for a chance to advance to next month's ITA National Indoor Championship in Seattle, Wash.
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 second year at the helm of the program for the 2018 season after leading the Bulls to a conference championship and the NCAA tournament in his first year as head coach during the 2017 season. The USF men's tennis program has won four consecutive American Athletic Conference Championships and advanced to four straight NCAA tournaments.
– #GoBulls –
