One Gator advanced to the second round of the 2014 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men’s All-American Championship pre-qualifying draw but failed to make it out of Saturday with a second win.
Junior Diego Hidalgo defeated Northwestern’s Fedor Baev in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) on Saturday morning.
Hidalgo then dropped his second-round match to UNC’s Jack Murray, retiring before the second set completed.
Two other Gators competed for the first national title of the fall season but fell short on the first round. Redshirt freshmen Joshua Wardell and Oliver Landert lost in men’s singles first pre-qualifying round. Wardell played Cale Hammond of Duke University Saturday afternoon (6-4, 6-1). Landert played Eduardo Mena of Tennessee Tech University Saturday morning (7-5, 6-4).
Sophomores Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin and junior Gordon Watson earned spots on the qualifying singles list. The doubles pairs Hidalgo and Lipman, as well as Watson and Orkin, earned spots on the qualifying doubles list.
The pre-qualifying rounds consist of a singles draw of 64 and doubles draw of 32. Three rounds must be won by the individual player or doubles team to advance to the qualifying rounds, which will be held Monday through Wednesday. Qualifying rounds use the same system of three consecutive wins from the player or pair, which will then compete in the main draw Oct. 2 through Oct. 6. Eight spots are reserved for singles, and four spots are reserved for doubles.
Singles semifinalists, doubles finalists and consolation champions will receive automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships November 6-9 in Flushing Meadows, NY.
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