Box Score Match Details
USF 4 , Liberty 3
South Florida (6-8), Liberty (4-6)
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023 | 1 p.m. ET
Lynchburg, Va. | Liberty Tennis Complex
LYNCHBURG, Va. (Feb. 26, 2023) – South Florida's men's tennis team won their second-consecutive match in Virginia on Sunday afternoon after defeating the Liberty Flames, 4-3.
The Bulls did not have much luck in doubles. Davide Tortora and Bruno Oliviera lost 2-6 on court one. Thomas Pavlekovich-Smith and Samuel Frizelle dropped court three by the same score.
However, in singles, things flipped around. Alvin Tudorica put the pressure on early. Within an hour and a half, he equalized the match by winning both of his sets on court three 6-4.
Despite being a stranger to court five, Oliveira bested Beau Pelletier 6-3, 6-4.
With the match now at 2-1, Pavlekovich-Smith had begun his singles play with the score on his side. He finished his first set, defeating Luis Felipe Miguel 6-2.
However, the next two sets did not follow the same story. Pavlekovich-Smith dropped his next two sets 3-6, 4-6 to give Liberty another point on the board.
On court one, Tortora fought an uphill battle to give the Bulls their third point. Once down 1-3, Tortora only allowed his opponent, Josh Wilson, another point before claiming the match 6-4.
Carrying the momentum from the pervious match, Tortora would win three consecutive games before Wilson would challenge him in the second set. Things got close towards the end of the, but ultimately Tortora was able to pull through and defeat his foe, 7-5.
Erik Grevelius also proved his ability to overcome hardship. Rafael Marques Da Silva would put up 5 unanswered games in the first set to defeat Grevelius, 6-1.
He turned things around in the second set to even up his match. By sustaining the intensity, Grevelius won his third set on court two, 6-4.
With the match clinched, the Green and Gold played on. Court four's match between Tom Pisane and Christian Worst lasted a whopping two and a half hours. After falling 3-6 in the first set, he won the next set by the same score.
The third set was a marathon. At one point, Pisane led the set 3-1 but Worst was able to push back. The two eventually got the set evened up at 6-6. Despite his best efforts, he lost the tiebreaker, 7-5.
South Florida went 2-1 while in Virginia. The team now holds a 6-8 record.
Doubles Competition
- Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. Davide Tortora/Bruno Oliveira (USFM) 6-2
- Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) vs. Erik Grevelius/Alvin Tudorica (USFM) 5-4, unfinished
- Beau Pelletier/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Thomas Pavlekovich-S/Samuel Frizelle (USFM) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles 3,1
Match Results
- Davide Tortora (USF) def. Josh Wilson (LIBERTY) 6-4, 7-5
- Erik Grevelius (USF) def. R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTY) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Alvin Tudorica (USF) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTY) 6-4, 6-4
- Christiaan Worst (LIBERTY) def. Tom Pisane (USF) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)
- Bruno Oliveira (USFM) def. Beau Pelletier (LIBERTY) 6-3, 6-4
- Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTY) def. Thomas Pavlekovich-Smith (USF) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 3,5,6,1,2,4
Up Next:
The Bulls will head to College Station, Texas for their final road match of the season as they face Texas A&M on Monday, March 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?is in his seventh year at the helm of the program for the 2022-23 season.
– #GoBulls –
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