Match Details
No. 40 South Florida 4, No. 46 Central Florida 3
South Florida (13-9), Central Florida (8-14)
Saturday, April 16, 2022 | 5 p.m.
Orlando, Fla. | USTA National Tennis Campus
 
ORLANDO (April 16, 2022) – The University of South Florida men's tennis team continued its tear on Saturday closing out the regular season with its fifth-straight win, with a thrilling 4-3 victory over rival Central Florida at the USTA National Tennis Campus in Orlando.
 
The Bulls, ranked No. 40 in the nation in the latest ITA national rankings, improve to 13-9 on the year while the Knights fall to 8-14 overall.
 
The win, the Green and Gold's 11^th in the last 15 matches after starting the season 2-5, is the fifth straight on the road and against the Top 75.
 
South Florida had a relatively easy time in the doubles portion of the dual, taking the point from the Knights. Sergio Gomez Montesa and Alvin Tudorica took court three, 6-2, however Central Florida followed up with a 6-1 win on court one over Rithvik Bollipalli and Bruno Oliveira to even doubles up at one match apiece.
 
Chase Ferguson and Ivan Yatsuk put an end to the deadlock with a dominating 6-1 win on court two to secure the point and give the Bulls the lead.
 
Singles started with each team alternating wins, setting the stage for what was to come. South Florida went up 2-0 in the dual when Yatsuk won in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, only to have Central Florida come back with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Tudorica on court four. The loss for Tudorica snapped his impressive 14-match winning streak dating back to Feb. 26, but he didn't go quietly fighting off a 5-4 match point to extend the set before falling.
 
On court five, Gomez Montesa brought the Bulls to within one point of the dual victory with a straight-forward 6-3, 6-4, win to put South Florida up 3-1.
 
The Knights, who came into the match with the Bulls 3-4 in their last seven outings, did not go down without a fight, taking the next two matches on court two over Ferguson, 6-3, 6-4, and court three over Antonio Muniz, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2). Before falling, Muniz held a 5-4 lead in the third set but was unable to close out his opponent bringing the dual down to court six and Oliveira.   
 
Oliveira toughed out a 6-4 win in the first set but was going to have to come back after he dropped the second set, 7-5. The South Carolina transfer from Brazil had ice water in his veins down the stretch, firing an ace just inside the line to put Central Florida away for good.  

Quotable - South Florida Head Men's Tennis Coach Ashley Fisher
"I'm not surprised but I am impressed by what our guys have done the last couple of weeks. To go on the road and beat four conference opponents is special. Props go to Ivan (Yatsuk) and Sergio (Gomez Montesa) today as well as Bruno (Oliveira) but every week it is someone different finding a way for us. (Our) Doubles was outstanding today also."

Up Next
South Florida will now head to the 2022 American Athletic Conference Championships in Tulsa, Okla., April 21-24 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

Match Results
Doubles
1. #36 Trey Hilderbrand/Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def. #37 Rithvik Bollipalli/Bruno Oliveira (USF) 6-1
2. Chase Ferguson/Ivan Yatsuk (USF) def. #84 Cooper White/Lleyton Cronje (UCF) 6-1
3. Alvin Tudorica/Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) def. JC Roddick/Quinn Snyder (UCF) 6-2
 
Order of finish for doubles (3.1.2)
 
Singles
1. Ivan Yatsuk (USF) def. Lleyton Cronje (UCF) 7-5, 6-3
2. Alan Rubio (UCF) def. Chase Ferguson (USF) 6-3, 6-4
3. Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def. Antonio Muniz (USF) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2)
4. #90 Trey Hilderbrand (UCF) def. Alvin Tudorica (USF) 6-4, 7-5
5. Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) def. JC Roddick (UCF) 6-3, 6-4
6. Bruno Oliveira (USF) def. Quinn Snyder (UCF) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
 
Order of finish for doubles (1,4,5,2,3,6)
 
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.