It was a successful day for men’s tennis as they claimed the consolation singles title in Atlanta at the ITA Regional Championships tournament.
Freshman Andy Andrade claimed the title for the Gators on Tuesday against Jose Gracia of Florida State in a three-set match, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Andrade had a successful run in Atlanta, finishing his singles play with five consolation wins after an initial loss to Sahil Deshmukh of North Florida in the first round of the main draw.
“Andy really improved throughout this tournament and once he fully believes in himself, watch out,” coach Bryan Shelton said in a release.
Doubles play continued for the Gators into the finals round, where the duo of senior Chase Perez-Blanco and freshman Oliver Crawford won its semifinals match by default against Linus Bergevi and Colter DeCoste of Stetson.
Perez-Blanco and Crawford went on to play against No.1-ranked Robert Loeb and Jan Zielinski of Georgia for the title, a pair which had beaten UF junior McClain Kessler and Andrade in the semifinals round, 6-3, 7-6(5).
Loeb and Zielinski took the doubles title in a two-set match (6-4, 6-2), claiming their spot at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in California.
“In doubles, we ran into a very good pair today that got better all day,” Shelton said. “We are doing a lot of things right with our doubles but there are some things we can do better. We will get home and hit the practice courts and put to work the things we learned.”
Up next for the Gators men’s tennis team is a series of tournaments starting Nov. 1. Qualifying Gators will travel to Indian Wells, California, for the Oracle Fall Championships.
The Gators will also compete in the ITF Futures tournament in Birmingham, Alabama, and Dick Vitale Invitational in Lakewood Ranch.
Women’s Pro Circuit Update:
After a day of canceled matches because of a series of rain storms in Florence, South Carolina, senior Josie Kuhlman resumed play in her singles qualifying match Tuesday morning at the Florence Open.
The Ponte Vedra native lost to Chloe Beck of the United States in a tough three-setter in the second round of tournament play.
Kuhlman will not be traveling with the team on Thursday as they head to Atlanta for the ITA Regional Championships tournament.
You can follow Mari Faiello on Twitter @faiello_mari, and contact her at mfaiello@alligator.org.
Freshman Andy Andrade claimed the singles consolation title on Tuesday at the ITA Regional Championships in Atlanta.
