In the first round of qualifying, junior Nassim Slilam did something that no UF player had done in more than a year — post a straight-sets 6-0, 6-0 win.
Slilam’s win against No. 69 Daniel Stahl of Notre Dame was the first of its kind since Alexandre Lacroix defeated South Florida’s Wael Kilani on Sept. 25, 2009, in the Gator Invitational.
Slilam’s dominating victory at the ITA All-American in Tulsa, Okla., impressed coach Andy Jackson.
“Nassim beat the No. 69 guy in the country and beat him very badly,” Jackson said.
It was also a successful day for sophomore Sekou Bangoura Jr., who battled for three rounds against Texas Tech’s Rafael Garcia before earning a victory (6-2, 3-6, 6-4).
Jackson said Bangoura played extremely tough in what was a long, difficult match.
Both Bangoura and Slilam will play in round two on Tuesday, while Bangoura will also play in doubles qualifying with Billy Federhofer.
Bangoura was originally scheduled to play with Bob van Overbeek, who had to be replaced after getting the flu.
The doubles pairs need three wins in qualifying to advance to the 32-team main draw.
Even though this is the first time Federhofer and Bangoura will play together, Jackson said it will only help develop chemistry for the spring.
Through three days of action, the Gators’ coach is pleased with his team’s performance, particularly that of freshman Andrew Butz.
Butz advanced to the final round of prequalifying before losing to Georgia Tech’s Dean O’Brien on Sunday.
Jackson said a player’s performance in the tournament can be judged on two factors — who he beat and whether who he lost to continues to perform.
“Andrew had a good tournament,” Jackson said. “He beat the No. 2 guy for TCU, a top-four guy for Georgia Tech and lost to a guy who is still playing,” Jackson said.
With two players advancing to qualifying and good performances by the two freshmen, Jackson is excited about the rest of the week.
“I’m very pleased with our team and the way we’re working and looking forward to continuing it,” he said.
