The University of South Florida men's tennis team battled hard but ultimately fell to Penn in a contested matchup.

USF showed early promise in doubles play, as James Newton and Francisco Llanes secured a strong 6-3 victory over Penn's Vojtech Vales and Shaurya Bharadwaj. However, the Quakers claimed the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. The No. 6-ranked duo of Manfredi Graziani and Aaron Sandler edged Hugo Car and Ettore Danesi 6-4, while Parashar Bharadwaj and Matthew Rutter earned a 6-4 decision over Stepan Mruzek and Guglielmo Verdese to seal the early advantage.

In singles action, the Bulls continued to compete but were unable to turn momentum in their favor. Hugo Car pushed No. 45 Manfredi Graziani in a competitive first set before falling 7-5, 6-3. Elijah Cham battled at Court 2 but dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision to Luka Butera.

Stepan Mruzek rallied to take the first set 6-2 against No. 121 Shaurya Bharadwaj before Penn responded to claim the next two sets, 6-4, 6-3. Guglielmo Verdese and James Newton each fought on their respective courts but came up short in straight sets.

Francisco Llanes capped the afternoon with a gritty performance, capturing the opening set 7-5 before forcing a decisive match tiebreak. Despite the effort, Penn's Vojtech Vales secured the 10-7 tiebreak to close out the match.

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 ninth year at the helm of the program for the 2025-26 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.

– #Go Bulls –