Florida’s men’s tennis team is reloading with talented youth and new faces. The Gators are trying to rebound from a quarterfinals loss in the 2018 Division I Men’s Tennis Championship.
The team saw a lot of turnover in the offseason, returning only six players from last season’s roster while adding five underclassmen. Those signees were part of a class that earned a No. 1 ranking from tennisrecruiting.com.
Brothers and Gainesville natives Grey and Harry Cacciatore from Buchholz High School rounded out the top haul after signing in April. They’ll join fellow five-star recruits Lukas Greif and Sam Riffice, both of whom signed in November 2017.
Sophomore Brian Berdusco will also join the team following his transfer from Pepperdine. He was granted immediate eligibility to play in early June and has three years remaining. Berdusco, a Florida native, was also a five-star recruit out of high school.
Sophomores Andy Andrade and Oliver Crawford were two of UF’s best singles players a season ago. Andrade compiled a 28-11 overall singles record while Crawford went 27-8 and posted the best winning percentage on the team in doubles.
Duarte Vale, also entering his second year, tied for the fourth-most doubles victories on the team last season.
Johannes Ingildsen, perhaps the best overall player on the team, returns for his junior season. In 2018, he earned All-American Doubles honors and was named to the All-SEC Second Team in addition to receiving multiple academic honors. His 30 singles wins led the team, and he excelled against ranked opponents in both singles and doubles.
Seniors McClain Kessler and Alfredo Perez round out the 11-man roster. Kessler’s 29 doubles wins were the second most on the team while Perez was also among the team’s best with 25 doubles wins, eight of which came against nationally ranked opponents.
Florida lost four players from last season’s roster, most notably Chase Perez-Blanco. The recent UF graduate compiled 31 doubles wins to lead the team. His presence on the court will be noticeable among his teammates this season, but the void will be filled with a strong freshman class.
The Gators finished the 2018 spring season ranked No. 10 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with numerous players nationally ranked in singles and doubles.
Perez (14), Ingildsen (26), Crawford (43), and Vale (98) were all among the best singles players in Division I. Ingildsen and Perez finished as the second-best doubles team in the country while Vale and Kessler (22), Andrade and Perez-Blanco (37), Perez-Blanco and Crawford (59) were all ranked as well.
The fall season begins for the Gators in Cary, North Carolina, with the 50k Challenger from Sept. 8-16, and preseason rankings from the ITA will be released on Sept. 12.
You can follow Kyle Wood on Twitter @Kkylewood or contact him at kwood@alligator.org.
