GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The UCF men's tennis team wrapped its 2022 fall slate with a trip North for the University of Florida Invitational. Bogdan Pavel and Lleyton Cronje grabbed three convincing victories together, securing a doubles bracket crown.
Two rounds of doubles play began the day on Friday before being concluded on Sunday, with five Knights competing. Along with the Pavel/Cronje pairing, Luca Hotze and Quinn Snyder competed together. The duo dropped the first round to Florida and was then edged out by Miami, but found form against Duke on Sunday, winning 8-7 (5).
Cronje and Pavel, ranked No. 24 in the ITA preseason poll, showed out this weekend. The tandem beat a Duke duo 8-6, before defeating an Illinois doublet 8-5. They didn't lose form Sunday, finishing off the field with a tournament-best performance from the duo, besting the hosts Florida 8-4 to take the doubles east bracket. This was their first pairing of the season following a 6-3 mark in the spring.
Emilio Sanchez was paired up with Kenta Miyoshi of Illinois, both found stride early with an 8-7 win against a Florida/Duke duo. They lost a tough 8-6 match against the hosts later that day.
The Black and Gold also started singles play on Friday, with the same five Knights competing.
Snyder, after dropping his first singles match to an opponent from Illinois, won three in a row to end the weekend on a high. He beat Auburn's Jan Galka in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-2) before completing getting his second of the day, defeating North Florida's PJ Kotan in straight sets (6-3, 6-1). Snyder then capped off a solid weekend with another straight set victory over Illinois' Oliver Okonkwo 6-4, 6-2.
Cronje followed in Snyder's footsteps, taking his next three singles matches. Two were in straight sets against opponents from Miami and North Florida. His Sunday match was declared a walkover, moving his record to 3-1 on the weekend in singles competition. Snyder was crowned as champ of the blue back draw.
Sanchez's opposition was a walkover on Sunday, that was following a split two matches from the freshman. His victory on Saturday came against Auburn's Spencer Gray in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-2).
Pavel dropped his next two singles matches before his final match was declared a walkover. Hotze snatched a straight sets victory (7-6, 6-2) over Del Puerto from Miami, but would fall to opposition from Illinois and North Florida.
Ending the fall with a couple of trophies ???? #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/gPxYagd5zu
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) November 6, 2022
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