ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The No. 40 UCF men's tennis team turned in a dominant performance Friday night at the USTA National Campus, sweeping singles play en route to a 6-1 victory over No. 46 Princeton.
"We did a good job competing and probably the best job all year of solidifying breaks," said UCF Director of Tennis, John Roddick. We did a really good job of closing out the sets and extending leads. I was really proud of that effort."
UCF (9-6 0-0) won all six singles matches for the second time this year on the way to a fifth straight win overall. The Knights had also accomplished the feat in a 6-1 win over Auburn Feb. 4.
Princeton (14-7, 0-0) started the night off looking sharp in doubles play, with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 to earn the opening point, but that was the high point for the Tigers, as
UCF put its foot on the gas in the remaining matches.
The Knights opened up the scoring at No. 4, with freshman Mikhail Sokolovskiy easily defeating Damian Rodriguez, 6-1, 6-1.
The big Brazilian, Gabriel DeCamps, made it 2-1 UCF with his win at No. 2. The fellow freshman also made quick work of Ryan Seggerman with a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Eero Vasa had a gritty first set versus Davey Roberts at No. 5, coming from behind after several intense points. Vasa would prevail, and ultimately win in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
The clincher for the Knights came at No. 1. Senior Korey Lovett also found himself in a battle, splitting the first two sets with Kial Kaiser. Lovett overpowered Kaiser on serve, with multiple aces, and was able to roll through the third set, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
With the decision already set, two more matches were played out at No. 3 and No. 6.
Alan Rubio took down Luke Gamble, 6-4, 7-5 and Danny Kerznerman survived a three-set classic versus Payton Holden, 6-4, 5-7, 10-8.
UP NEXT
The Knights will hit the road for their next three matches, starting with a visit to Stillwater, OK for a showdown with Oklahoma State March 30 at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men's Tennis on social media on Facebook (UCF.MTennis), Twitter (UCF_MTennis) and Instagram (UCF.Mtennis).
#40 UCF 6, #46 Princeton 1
Singles Competition
1. Korey Lovett (UCF-M) def. Kaiser, Kial (PRIN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
2. Gabriel DeCamps (UCF-M) def. Seggerman, Ryan (PRIN) 6-1, 6-4
3. Alan Rubio (UCF-M) def. Gamble, Luke (PRIN) 6-4, 7-5
4. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (UCF-M) def. Rodriguez, Damian (PRIN) 6-1, 6-1
5. Eero Vasa (UCF-M) def. Roberts, Davey (PRIN) 7-5, 6-3
6. Danny Kerznerman (UCF-M) def. Holden, Payton (PRIN) 6-4, 5-7, 10-8
Doubles Competition
1. Gamble, Luke/Rodriguez, Damian (PRIN) def. #7 Korey Lovett/Eero Vasa (UCF-M) 7-6 (7-3)
2. Seggerman, Ryan/Holden, Payton (PRIN) vs. Alan Rubio/Enrique Paya (UCF-M) no result
3. Vives, Diego/Wasserman, Jimmy (PRIN) def. Gabriel DeCamps/Danny Kerznerman (UCF-M) 6-3
Match Notes:
UCF 9-6; National ranking #40
Princeton 14-7; National ranking #46
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,2,5,1,3,6)
