USF Falls to Georgia State in Jerry Simmons Invitational
BATON ROUGE, LA., JAN. 27, 2019 – USF men's tennis closed out play at the Jerry Simmons Invitational with a close match against Georgia State, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls advanced to the third-place match in the tournament after splitting the first day of play, sweeping Nicholl's State, 4-0, and losing to Penn State, 4-2.
USF clinched the doubles point after challenges on all three courts. Sean Burnette (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Ivan Yatsuk (Minsk, Belarus) fell 6-2 on court three, but Chase Ferguson (Melbourne, Australia) and Pierre Luquet (Draguignan, France) answered the setback picking up a 6-4 win on court two against GSU's Giles Hussey and Jack MacFarlane.
Alberto Barroso-Campos (Montijo, Spain) and Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, Fla.) fought for an impressive win when they went to a tiebreaker on court one against Roberts Grinvalds and Andrei Duarte, winning 7-6 (7-3) to secure the doubles point.
USF entered singles play with a 1-0 advantage, but the Panthers jumped ahead with wins against Ferguson on court two, 6-2, 6-3, Wojcik on court four, 6-3, 6-4 and Luquet on court three, 6-2, 6-2.
No. 43 Alberto Barroso-Campos battled to three sets against Giles Hussey on court one, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, to kick-start a comeback for USF, and Yatsuk followed suit with a 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win on court six.
With the score tied, 3-3, USF freshman Sergio Gomez-Montesa (Valencia, Spain) won his first set, 6-5, against Andrei Duarte on court five, but Duarte won the next two, 6-3, 7-5, clinching the match for Georgia State.
Quotable
Head Coach Ashley Fisher on the loss…
"Disappointing result today, but there were some good signs. We just need to be more consistent with our approach and emotional responses to situations. We dug a hole, and to the team's credit, a lot of them were able to flick a switch and raise their tennis. Some individuals were challenged to commit to certain areas, and we had success there."
Head Coach Ashley Fisher on Gomez-Montesa's tough loss…
"It came down to two guys fighting like warriors and unfortunately, Sergio was on the wrong end. Having said that, we know he will keep committing to his game style and we have a lot of belief that a love of these things will go his way in future similar situations"
Match Results
Singles Competition
1. Barroso-Campos (USF) def. Hussy (GSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Grinvalds (GSU) def. Ferguson (USF) 6-2, 6-3
3. Shubladze (GSU) def. Luquet (USF) 6-2, 6-2
4. Showers (GSU) def. Wojcik (USF) 6-3, 6-4
5. Duarte (GSU) def. Gomez- Montesa (USF) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
6. Yatsuk (USF) def. Huynh (GSU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Barroso-Campos and Wojcik (USF) vs. Grinvalds and Duarte (GSU) 7-6 (7-3)
2. Ferguson and Luquet (USF) vs. Hussey and MacFarlane (GSU) 6-4
3. Burnette and Yatsuk (USF) vs. Showers and Padilha (GSU) 2-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1) Singles (2,4,3,1,6,5)
Up Next
The Bulls head to Waco, Texas. Feb. 1 to play Baylor University at 7 p.m.
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 third year at the helm of the program for the 2019 season after leading the Bulls to their fifth straight appearance in The American Championship.
– #GoBulls –
