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Wednesday, November 06, 2024
<p>Coach Bryan Shelton (left) and freshman Duarte Vale (right) came up short in the Gators' second dual match on the weekend in Columbus, Ohio. </p>

Coach Bryan Shelton (left) and freshman Duarte Vale (right) came up short in the Gators' second dual match on the weekend in Columbus, Ohio. 

Nothing about the red and gray courts at Ohio State’s Varsity Indoor Tennis Center resembled home for Florida’s men’s tennis team. Losing the first four points of a dual match was just as strange to the No. 11 program in the nation.

On Sunday afternoon, the Gators concluded a weekend road trip with 5-2 loss to the No. 2 Buckeyes in front of an energized OSU home crowd.

The match’s doubles action was tight. After splitting the No. 1 and No. 2 courts, the doubles point came down to the No. 3 position with sophomore Johannes Ingildsen and senior Chase Perez-Blanco playing together for the second consecutive match. After dominating Michigan’s No. 3 doubles pair on Friday, Ingildsen and Perez-Blanco lost to redshirt senior Matt Mendez and junior Hunter Tubert in a closely contested 7-5 match.

“We had our chances to win the doubles point,” coach Bryan Shelton said. “But they played better down the stretch.”

The Gators (4-2) are now 0-2 when losing the doubles point this season.

Freshman Duarte Vale struggled to find a rhythm after losing both his service games in a 6-2 loss on the No. 1 doubles court with his partner junior McClain Kessler. In singles, Vale fell to freshman John McNally 6-3, 6-2 and is now 2-2 at the No. 3 position this season.

At No. 1 singles, Ohio State’s No. 5-ranked senior Mikael Torpegaard ended junior Alfredo Perez’s undefeated stretch with a one-sided 6-2, 6-2 defeat.

Securing the Buckeyes’ fourth point, redshirt sophomore Alex Kobelt defeated Kessler 6-4, 6-4 on the No. 6 court.

“We just didn’t play aggressively enough,” Shelton said. “You aren’t going to beat (Ohio State) unless you step up.”

After Ohio State (8-0) clinched the match, the teams agreed to complete play on the three remaining singles courts.

At the No. 2 position, Ingildsen beat No. 44-ranked sophomore JJ Wolf 7-5, 6-4.

Grabbing Florida’s second point, freshman Andy Andrade secured his first victory over a ranked opponent, outlasting No. 30-ranked redshirt sophomore Kyle Seelig in a 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(8) victory.

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Freshman Oliver Crawford’s 7-6(4), 7-6(5) loss to junior Martin Joyce on the No. 4 court brought Sunday’s contest to a close.

Next week, the Gators will continue their stretch of indoor tennis at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle.

A story from floridagators.com contributed to this report. 

Follow Benjamin Brandt on Twitter @bhb1227 and contact him at bbrandt@alligator.org.

Coach Bryan Shelton (left) and freshman Duarte Vale (right) came up short in the Gators' second dual match on the weekend in Columbus, Ohio. 

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