TAMPA, Feb. 7, 2021 – The University of South Florida men's tennis team earned their first win at home against FGCU, moving their record to 3-2. The Bulls dominated the singles courts, defeating the Eagles 5-2.

No. 21 Rithvik Bollipalli (Hyderabad, India) and Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, Fla.) suffered their first loss of the season from FGCU's Pedro Maciel and Randy Wilson, 4-6. Similarly on court two, Ivan Yatsuk (Minsk, Belarus) and Pierre Luquet (Draguignan, France) fell to Magnus Johnson and Max Damm, 4-6, placing USF in a deficit entering singles.

Despite missing their No. 1 player Chase Ferguson (Melbourne, Australia), the Bulls were able to secure the win from five singles courts in straight sets. Bollipalli shut out opponent Eric Oncins 6-0, 6-0, followed by a 6-3, 6-2 win from Manuel Goncalves (Porto, Portugal) against Max Damm to gain the lead. Shortly after, Luquet extended the lead with a 6-0, 6-3 finish over Alessandro Conca to put the Bulls up 3-1. The final push from Wojcik clinched the match against Wilson in a 6-3, 6-4 contest. Sergio Gomez-Montesa (Valencia, Spain) won the fifth point over Gugli Stefanacci, 7-6, 6-2. 

Quotable
Head coach Ashley Fisher on today's win….
"We are excited to get the result any time you go to battle without your number one player. It's a good test. We will do a better job of preparing our guys for doubles but it's always character building when you drop the point and have to come out and spark things in singles. FGCU also had some guys out which was unfortunate for them and we wish them the best of luck for the season. More importantly than the win was the fact that many of our guys were willing to push their limits and play aggressively regardless of the outcome. We will continue building and good things are happening here with this program and University. Bullieve!"
 

Up Next
The Bulls take a short break then head back on the road to Boca Raton, Fla. where they face FAU on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 12 p.m.

 

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 fifth year at the helm of the program for the 2021 season. 
– #GoBulls –