TULSA, Okla. (April 18, 2024) – The No. 8 seed University of South Florida Bulls (10-16) bested the No. 9 seed UAB Blazers (12-11) in a match that lasted over four hours, 4-2, in the opening round of the AAC Men's Tennis Championship on Thursday.

South Florida improved to 22-4 all-time in The American Championship and now has a date with top-seeded and No. 32-nationally ranked Memphis on Friday.

Despite a win by No. 36 Alvin Tudorica and Erik Grevelius to open doubles play, the Bulls dropped the team point to the Blazers and needed to battle back during singles action.

USF did just that in a grueling match that saw four courts go to a third set and another needing a pair of tiebreakers.

Grevelius got the Bulls on the board with a 6-1, 6-4 victory on Court 2 before the marathon ensued.

Tom Pavlekovich-Smith battled back for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 triumph on Court 6 before UAB tied up the team score, 2-2, on Court 3 with a pair of tiebreak set wins.

Elijah Cham put South Florida back in front with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win and No. 71 Tudorica sealed the team triumph with a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) rally.

Up Next

The Bulls and top-seeded Tigers will face off on Friday, April 19 at 3 p.m. ET. Memphis topped South Florida, 4-3, during a regular season matchup in Tampa on February 16.

About USF 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 eighth year at the helm of the program for the 2023-24 season. Fischer has guided the Bulls to four NCAA Tournaments, including three trips to the second round. He was named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2017 & 2019 after leading USF to the conference title in each of those seasons.

– #GoBulls –