Feb. 3, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's tennis team knocked off Florida Gulf Coast, 4-3, on Sunday at the UCF Tennis Complex. The Knights took victories at four of the six singles spots and earned its first win of the young season.
After Florida Gulf Coast won the first doubles match, UCF (1-0) bounced back to win at the No. 2 doubles spot. Senior Sinan Sudas (Adana, Turkey) and freshman Claudio Romano (Valencia, Venezuela) prevailed 9-8 against Mikkel Muller and Ervin Garibovic.
The Eagles (1-1) earned the doubles point after Brenton Bacon and Ricardo Hernandez defeated junior Brock Sakey (Gulf Breeze, Fla./Gulf Breeze) and sophomore Johan Beigart (Vaxjo, Sweden), 9-7, at the No. 1 spot.
In singles, Sakey earned UCF its first point of the day quickly. The junior blew past Danny Lee at No. 5, 6-0, 6-1, in a match that lasted less than 50 minutes. Beigart gave UCF its second point of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-4 victory at the No. 2 spot.
UCF earned its third consecutive point as Romano won his first match as a Knight. The freshman took a 6-1, 6-2 decision at No. 4 against Garibovic.
Sudas clinched the win for the Knights at No. 3 with a 7-5, 6-1 win against Mikkel Muller.
The Knights won the first set at five of the six singles courts.
"I was glad to see our guys fight back today after a tough match against Florida," said UCF head coach Bobby Cashman. "I really think it shows the resiliency this team has. The support we had in the stands was great and I am excited to be able to open our season at home with a win."
The Knights continue their two-match homestand on Wednesday against Stetson. First serve at the UCF Tennis Complex is set for 2 p.m.
Admission to all UCF home matches is free.
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