Match Details
No. 49 VCU 4, No. 54 South Florida 3
South Florida (8-9), VCU (10-6)
Friday, March 25, 2022 | 1:30 p.m.
Tampa, Fla. | USF Varsity Tennis Courts
 
TAMPA (March 25, 2022) – The University of South Florida men's tennis team returned home on Friday afternoon to face its fourth-straight nationally-ranked opponent, falling to No. 49 VCU, 4-3, at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.

The Bulls, ranked No. 54 in the latest ITA rankings, fall to 8-9 on the year while the Rams improve to 10-6.    

In doubles, South Florida's Sergio Gomez Montesa (Valencia, Spain) and Alvin Tudorica (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) won on Court 3, 6-3, before the Rams responded with a 6-4 win on Court 2.

The hard-fought doubles point came down to Court 1, where Rithvik Bollipalli (Hyderabad, India) and Bruno Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), ranked the ninth-best doubles team in the most recent ITA poll, won 7-6 (9-7) in a tiebreaking thriller to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.

In singles, the Rams started strong, tallying points on Court 1 (6-3, 6-4) and Court 3 (6-3, 6-3), to go up 2-1 in the dual.

South Florida responded by taking two courts of their own. Tudorica earned a 6-3, 6-3 win on Court 5, and then Tom Pisane (Antwerp, Belgium) took a 6-1, 6-4 win on Court 6, putting the Green and Gold back up by one point.

VCU's Matisse Bobichon then won in straight sets against Gomez Montesa, 6-4, 6-4, on Court 4 to tie the overall score at three apiece.

The match came down to Court 2, where USF's Chase Ferguson (Melbourne, Australia) – who led after a convincing first set victory – fell to the Rams' Maxence Bertimon in a three-set battle 6-0, 3-6, 4-6.

Quotable – USF Head Coach Ashley Fisher
"We are putting ourselves in good positions and are just on the wrong end of some 4-3 matches. Our guys are working hard and will come through. We just have to trust in the process."

Up Next
The Bulls are back in action Sunday at 11 a.m. to take on No. 50 Cornell at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.

Match Results
Doubles
1. Rithvik Bollipalli/Bruno Oliveira (USF) def. Bertimon/Bertimon (VCU) 7-6 (9-7)
2. Stable/Torre (VCU) def. Chase Ferguson/Ivan Yatsuk (USF) 6-4
3. Sergio Gomez Montesa/Alvin Tudorica (USF) def. Almeida/Bobichon (VCU) 6-3
 
Order of finish for doubles (3,2,1)
 
Singles
1. Charles Bertimon (VCU) def.  Ivan Yatsuk (USF) 6-3, 6-4
2. Chase Ferguson (USF) def. Maxence Bertimon (VCU) 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Inigo Torre (VCU) def. Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo (USF) 6-3, 6-3
4. Matisse Bobichon (VCU) def. Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) 6-4, 6-4
5. Alvin Tudorica (USF) def. Rayane Stable (VCU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Tom Pisane (USF) def. Joaquim Almeida (VCU) 6-1, 6-4
 
Order of finish for singles (1,3,5,6,4,2) 

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 sixth year at the helm of the program for the 2021-22 season.