Bulls roll to victories in five of six singles matches
TAMPA (March 11, 2022) – The University of South Florida men’s tennis team (6-6)claimed five singles and a pair of doubles matches Friday afternoon at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts, posting a strong 6-1 victory over Furman (8-6).
In doubles play, Bulls Rithvik Bollipalli and Bruno Oliveira won 7-6 against Furman’s No. 29-ranked duo of Ivan Mitric and Jamie Connel on Court 1 for their third win in a row as a pair. Bulls Chase Ferguson and Manuel Goncalves clinched the doubles point with a thrilling 7-6 tiebreaker victory on Court 2.
The Bulls started off strong in singles with five of six courts winning their first sets of the match. They carried the momentum through to the end with wins across the board on all five courts.
USFs Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo posted a 6-4 win in the first set and a knock-out, 6-2 victory in the second against Furman’s Elijah Poritzky on Court 3 to secure the first singles point for the Bulls.
On Court 1, USFs Ferguson came out with a bang with a 6-2 win in the first set as he faced off against Furman’s Mitric. Ferguson solidified the second singles point for the Bulls with a close 7-5 win in the second set.
USF’s Alvin Tudorica dominated Furman’s James Roelofse with a 6-2 victory in the first set on Court 4 and got the third singles point for the Bulls with a close 7-5 victory in the second set.
The Bulls’ Ivan Yatsuk started off strong with a 6-3 victory in the first set against Furman’s Connel on Court 2 before dropping a 6-7 tiebreaker (2-7) in the second. He rebounded with a huge 10-1 tiebreaker win in the third set to claim the point.
On Court 5, USF’s Oliveira logged a 7-5 win in the first set against Emil Westling and grabbed the fifth singles point with a 6-4 victory in the second.
USFs Goncalves fell 7-6 to Furman’s Drew Singerman after a tiebreaker in the first set, 7-6 (7-1). Goncalves rebounded with a 6-1 comeback victory in the second set, but dropped a nail-biting tiebreaker, 11-9, in the third set.
Up Next
The Bulls hit the courts next vs. Indiana on March 16 at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts. The match is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start.
Match Results
Doubles competition
1. Rithvik Bollipalli/Bruno Oliveira (USF) def. Ivan Mitric/Jamie Connel(FURMAN), 7-6 (7-5)
2. Chase Ferguson/Manuel Goncalves (USF) def. Emil Westling/James Reolofse (FURMAN), 7-6 (7-0)
3. Elijah Poritsky/Cole Burnam (FURMAN) def. Alvin Tudorica/Sergio Gomez Montesa (USFM), 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2)
Singles competition
1. Chase Ferguson (USF) def. Ivan Mitric (FURMAN), 6-2, 7-5
2. Ivan Yatsuk (USF) def. Jamie Connel (FURMAN), 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 10-1
3. Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo (USF) def. Elijah Poritzky (FURMAN), 6-4, 6-2
4. Alvin Tudorica (USF) def. James Roelofse (FURMAN), 6-2, 7-5
5. Bruno Oliveira (USF) def. Emil Westling (FURMAN), 7-5, 6-4
6. Drew Singerman (FURMAN) def. Manuel Goncalves (USF), 7-6 (7-1), 1-6, 11-9
Order of finish: Singles (3,1,4,2,5,6)
About Men’s Tennis
Be sure to follow USF men’s tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head coach Ashley Fisher will begin his sixth year at the helm of the program for the 2021-22 season.
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