Andy Andrade wrapped his arm around his coach and smiled. He looked comfortable and confident. Volunteer assistant coach Scott Perelman had just joined Andrade on the sideline after the freshman concluded a speedy 6-0 first set win on the No. 5 singles court against South Alabama on Saturday. The two sat close on Andrade’s bench. They laughed.
“We just had a nice talk,” Andrade said with a grin. “He told me to relax. He just made a funny joke.”
Clearly, he was relaxed. Andrade was the first player to win his singles match in each of Florida’s first two dual matches. He lost a total of three games in the process, tied for the least of any Gator over that span.
In Sunday’s matchup against South Florida, however, Andrade was challenged for the first time this season. While the opening set resembled the dominance of prior contests, Andrade quickly found himself trailing in the second. His opponent, sophomore Jakub Wojcik, raised his level of play and evened the score, forcing a third and final set.
It would’ve been easy for Andrade to crumble. The Gators had already secured a 3-0 lead and were just one point away from sending the Bulls home. It was Andrade’s first opportunity to clinch a match for his team and Wojcik had stolen the momentum.
“Now you face adversity for the first time,” UF coach Bryan Shelton said. “How are you going to deal with that?”
Andrade adjusted his play, working to make Wojcik uncomfortable. But breaks of serve prevented either player from taking the lead. Through it all, Andrade stuck to his coaches’ instructions to hit the ball higher over the net and outlasted Wojcik, winning by a final score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
It was the final step in defeating USF and earning Florida’s bid to the ITA National Indoor Championship.
Andrade plays the No. 5 position on a deep Gators roster. Both his freshman teammates — Oliver Crawford and Duarte Vale — play above him at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. While the three combined to make up last season’s No. 2-ranked recruiting class, it was Crawford and and Vale who garnered the most attention coming out of high school.
And deservedly so. Both Crawford and Vale competed in the summer’s three junior Grand Slam events on the professional tour. Earlier this month, they were the only Gators to advance to the City of Sunrise Pro Tennis Classic’s main draw. At the same tournament, Andrade lost in the second round of qualifying play.
But before the team’s season opener last Monday, Shelton expressed great confidence in Andrade.
“I think a lot of people are going to overlook this guy,” Shelton said.
Maybe he was right. After one week of dual match play, Andrade is 3-0 in singles and has already clinched a match for his team.
February will feature strictly road tennis for the Gators, presenting a new challenge for Andrade in his first dual matches away from home.
But his coach remains confident.
“Don’t sleep on Andy Andrade,” Shelton said. “Because this guy is coming.”
Follow Benjamin Brandt on Twitter @bhb1227 and contact him at bbrandt@alligator.org.
Andy Andrade is the No. 3 freshman on Florida's depth chart, but coach Bryan Shelton expressed confidence in his young player. “I think a lot of people are going to overlook this guy,” Shelton said.
