Three Gators advanced on the second day at the Bedford Cup, but top-seeded Bob van Overbeek was not one of them. Florida State’s Dominic Controne defeated van Overbeek 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets during the round of 16.
“I was really proud of how our guys hung in there and got some answers,” coach Bryan Shelton said. “All in all, a solid day for the Gators and looking forward to a good day tomorrow.”
Mike Alford, Florent Diep and Gordon Watson moved on to the quarterfinals.
Watson, a redshirt freshman, beat third-ranked Benjamin Lock of FSU in the tournament by a score of 6-4, 6-4.
“I thought we played well today,” said head coach Bryan Shelton. “We found ways to get it done.
Also in singles play, Luke Johnson rebounded from a first-round loss with a win against Florida Atlantic’s Sean Bache (6-3, 6-1) in the consolation round.
In doubles action, Alford and Diep moved on to the semifinals after defeating South Florida’s Guillermo De Vilchez and Oliver Pramming, 8-4.
“Mike Alford was a warrior today,” Shelton said. “He had some tough matches today and dug deep and fought till the end.”
Shelton said, one aspect his team has to work on is the service game. Hitting serves accurately, creating openings with the serve and getting free points with the serve.
Play continues on Sunday at 9 a.m. The finals will be played on Monday.
