USF Returns to Home Courts to Host Stetson Saturday
TAMPA, Feb. 07, 2020 – USF men's tennis is set to host the Stetson Hatters at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts, Saturday at 1:30 p.m. This match will be the Bulls' second chance at a home opener after a postponed match against Mississippi State on Jan. 31.
South Florida (4-2) has had a strong start to the 2020 season, currently holding the best start since 2014. The team's wins include dominating shutouts over FGCU and FAU and an appearance in the ITA Kickoff Championship in Gainesville, Fla.
Chase Ferguson (Melbourne, Australia) and
Ivan Yatsuk (Minsk, Belarus) lead the team in singles wins (4) on courts one and five, respectively. Ferguson joins
Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, Fla.) as the only Bulls with ranked wins: Wojcik over No. 58 Maxime Lapraille of FAU and Ferguson against Fresno State's No. 124 Zdenek Derkas.
Sergio Gomez Montesa (Valencia, Spain) and Yatsuk are still the doubles team to watch on the third court, posting a 4-2 record and helping secure two of the four doubles point wins for South Florida. The duo of Ferguson and
Pierre Luquet (Draguignan, France) ties the sophomore team with most team doubles wins (4).
The Bulls currently lead the overall series against the Hatters, 4-0, and have not dropped a home opener since 2006.
Scouting Stetson
The Hatters are on the road for the second time this season to face USF, with head coach Christophe Noblet in his fourth year in command. Noblet led the group to a 11-12 record in the 2019 season, including an Atlantic Sun Conference Championship appearance where they fell to Kennesaw State, 4-2.
Stetson (3-1) has only lost to No. 1 Florida and is currently riding a win streak against Bethune Cookman, Florida National, and Troy. The team has won 13-out-of-24 singles matches and 6-out-of-12 in doubles.
Antoine Sanchez, the premiere court holder for Stetson, is winless on court one this season, falling to No. 4 Sam Riffice of Florida and Pelayo Antuna from Troy. Alexandre Hillhouse, Tim Gennes and Sven Thiergard all tie for most team singles wins (3).
Linus Bergevi and Sanchez maintain the top court in doubles, currently 1-1, losing to Florida's Will Grant and Johannes Ingildsen.
Quotable
Head coach Ashley Fisher on the Bulls' upcoming challenge...
"Stetson is a program that works hard and is improving so this will be a good test for us. It's time to reset and get back to what we do well. We are looking for a lot of energy and commitment to our game styles and when we do that we grow and continue moving towards playing better tennis."
About Men's Tennis
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 fourth year at the helm of the program for the 2019 season after leading the Bulls to their fifth American Conference Championship title.
– #GoBulls –
