Tampa, Fla. March 13, 2021 – The University of South Florida men's tennis team earned two wins over Georgia State, 4-1, and Samford, 5-2. In the first and only double-header of the season, No. 34 Bulls extended their win streak to seven and overall record to 9-2.
GSU
Bulls were unsuccessful in securing the doubles point after No. 21
Rithvik Bollipalli (Hyderabad, India) and
Jakub Wojcik (Delray Beach, Florida) fell 3-6 to Harvey Maughan and Kevin Huyhn. Likewise on court two, No. 38
Chase Ferguson (Melbourne, Australia) and
Pierre Luquet (Draguignan, France) were defeated by Andrei Duarte and Steven Huyhn, 3-6.
Heading into singles with a deficit, Bulls battled back to secure all singles within two sets. Wojcik slid by Andrei Duarte in his 6-2, 6-1 victory to tie the match. Shortly after,
Ivan Yatsuk (Minsk, Belarus) defeated Harvey Maughan, 6-4, 6-1. Another win from
Alvin Tudorica (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) over Diego Padilha, 6-2, 6-0, put the Bulls within one of clinching the match. Luquet and Sergio Gomez-Montesa (Valencia, Spain) scored within a minute of each other to earn the fifth and sixth points.
Samford
No. 38 Ferguson and Luquet earned their sixth win against Tomas Santantonio and Eladio Fabregas, 6-3. However, after a close 6-7(7) tiebreak loss from No. 21 Bollipalli and Wojcik, it was not enough.
Down by one heading into singles, the Bulls immediately battled back to secure their second win of the day. Early successes from Bollipalli over Mohammed Ali Bellalouna 6-2, 6-0, and Gomez-Montesa over Jim Hendrix 6-1, 6-0, changed the course for USF. Ferguson's 6-4, 6-1 victory over Rossouw Norval extended the lead and put the Bulls within one to clinch the match. Yatsuk officially seized the victory after defeating Fabregas 7-6(6), 6-0. Wojcik bested Victor Chaw in a three-set 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 contest to score the extra point.
Quotable
Head coach Ashley Fisher on today's win….
"Today was a good test for us. Putting our guys under pressure and making them uncomfortable is a pillar of our program and playing two matches in March achieves that. We are getting it done in singles right now and it's exciting seeing guys improve. SMU is a team that we have had a tough time with and was a Sweet 16 team when I started here in 2016. They are improving and it's a good opportunity for us to showcase our skills. We believe this team is destined for greatness and tomorrow is one of many small steps forward."
Up Next
The Bulls continue their home stretch to face No. 50 SMU on Sunday, March 14 at noon.
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 –
