LSU Gold

Tigers Blanked by No. 1 Gators, 7-0

by Christian Verde
+0
Tigers Blanked by No. 1 Gators, 7-0

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—The LSU men’s tennis team (13-7 overall, 3-5 SEC) fell to the No. 1 Florida Gators, 7-0, Friday afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

Doubles

The top-ranked team in the nation lived up to the number one spot today, rolling through doubles on courts three and two. Ben Koch and Vlad Lobak fell to Nate Bonetto/Duarte Vale, 6-3. The Gators clinched the doubles point after No. 27 Andy Andrade/Mattias Siimar defeated Boris Kozlov and Nick Watson, 6-3.

Singles

Ronald Hohmann was not available to play for this one, so the singles lineup shifted a bit for the Tigers. Florida took their doubles momentum into singles and did not let up. LSU only won two of six first sets, and the Gators took a 2-0 lead after Abedallah Shelbayh defeated Ben Koch, 6-0, 6-2. No. 93 Andy Andrade made it 3-0 after a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Joao Graca. Florida clinched the match after No. 98 Duarte Vale defeated Gabriel Diaz Freire, 6-4, 6-1. The teams would play the match out as Vlad Lobak put up a competitive fight against No. 1 Ben Shelton, but it wasn’t enough as Lobak was defeated 6-3, 7-5. The final two courts, two and five, would head to a best-of-10 third-set tiebreaker. No. 26 Sam Riffice defeated Kent Hunter, 5-7, 6-3, 10-3, to push Florida’s lead to 6-0. No. 120 Josh Goodger would complete the sweep after defeating Boris Kozlov, 5-7, 6-4 10-5.

Next Up

LSU will head to Athens, Georgia to face the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday, April 3 at Noon.

#1 Florida 7, #38 LSU 0

Singles competition

  1. #1 Ben Shelton (UF) def. Vlad Lobak (LSU) 6-3, 7-5
  2. #26 Sam Riffice (UF) def. Kent Hunter (LSU) 5-7, 6-3, 10-3
  3. #98 Duarte Vale (UF) def. Gabriel Diaz Freire (LSU) 6-4, 6-1
  4. #93 Andy Andrade (UF) def. Joao Graca (LSU) 6-0, 6-3
  5. #120 Josh Goodger (UF) def. Boris Kozlov (LSU) 5-7, 6-4, 10-5
  6. Abedallah Shelbayh (UF) def. Ben Koch (LSU) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles competition

  1. #11 Sam Riffice/Ben Shelton (UF) vs. Gabriel Diaz Freire/Kent Hunter (LSU) 5-4, unfinished
  2. #27 Andy Andrade/Mattias Siimar (UF) def. Boris Kozlov/Nick Watson (LSU) 6-3
  3. Nate Bonetto/Duarte Vale (UF) def. Ben Koch/Vlad Lobak (LSU) 6-3

Match Notes:

LSU 13-7, 3-5 SEC; National ranking #38

Florida 16-2, 8-0 SEC; National ranking #1

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,4,3,1,2,5)