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Photo Gallery: Men's Tennis, Gator Invitational, 9/27/09 : Junior Alexandre Lacroix claimed a share of the singles title and teamed with senior Antoine Benneteau to win the doubles crown on Sunday as the University of Florida men’s tennis team wrapped up the 2009 Gator Invitational at the Ring Tennis Complex. Lacroix earned 18 points in the tournament after winning three singles matches in flight one play, including a 6-0, 6-2 win over Miami’s David Simon on Sunday. Lacroix dropped only five games through six sets over the weekend. Mississippi State’s Artem Ilyushin also earned 18 points with three singles victories, finishing with a 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5) win over South Florida’s Wael Kilani this morning. The tandem of Lacroix and Benneteau were solid all weekend, earning a 6-3 win over Miami’s Keith Crowley and Waylon Chin on the final day. The Florida duo was the only doubles team to win three matches in the tournament in any flight. Also on Sunday, senior Daniel Cash earned a 6-2, 6-1 win over South Florida’s Alex Pukal in flight five singles. Freshman William Federhofer and junior Eric Corace won their second doubles match of the weekend with a 6-3 victory over Miami’s Carl Sundberg and David Simon.

Photo Gallery: Men's Tennis, Gator Invitational, 9/27/09

Junior Alexandre Lacroix claimed a share of the singles title and team ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2009 4:06pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. USF & Ole Miss, 9/26/09 : The Florida women’s tennis team turned in another impressive day of play at the Gator Fall Classic Saturday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex. Six of the seven Gators who took the court for singles action posted straight-set victories, while all three doubles teams opened the second day of the tournament with wins. The featured singles match pit UF freshman Lauren Embree against South Florida junior Irene Rehberger, who is ranked No. 50 in the country. The Gator rookie was playing her collegiate singles debut and cruised in the opening set. Embree won the final two points to wrap up the 6-1, 7-6 (4) decision and capture her first collegiate victory. Also posting wins on the singles court Saturday included sophomore Jessica Alexander, sophomore newcomer Claire Bartlett, sophomore Joanna Mather, senior Anastasia Revzina and freshman Allie Will. Mather was the first Gator to complete her singles match, as she topped South Florida’s Jessica Zok, 6-1, 6-2, the same score she posted in Friday’s opening round. Bartlett was the next off the court and just missed a double-bagel with a 6-1, 6-0 decision over Allyn Mueller. Alexander followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Lauren Shumate, before Will out-slugged Ecaterina Vasenina, 6-3, 6-1, to record her second consecutive impressive victory and improve to 5-0 in her young singles career.

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. USF & Ole Miss, 9/26/09

The Florida women’s tennis team turned in another impressive day of ...

Updated: Sep 26, 2009 9:04pm PST

Photo Gallery: Women's Tennis, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round, UF vs. FSU, 5/10/09 : Freshman Joanna Mather rallied for three-set singles victory and helped the University of Florida women’s tennis team capture a thrilling 4-2 win over Florida State that sent the Gators to the third round of the NCAA Championships on Sunday at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The difference between UF’s 5-2 regular-season loss was its singles play, as the Gators were able to collect two victories and improve to 49-1 all-time against the Seminoles (17-8). The singles lineups were identical, but Mather, in addition to freshman Jessica Alexander rebounded for wins, while junior Marrit Boonstra earned her second win of the year against FSU’s top player. Similar to the regular-season meeting against Florida State, the Gators (16-9) began Sunday’s postseason bout winning a thrilling doubles point, as UF’s No. 1 pair of Boonstra and Mather topped Federica Suess and Katie Rybakova, 8-5, before Alexander and Revzina defeated Jessica Sucupira and Bonny Davidson, 8-4, in 61 minutes. Florida next plays No. 2-seeded Georgia on Fri., May 15 in the NCAA Round of 16 in College Station, Texas. The teams split two meetings this season, with the Gators winning the regular-season affair, 4-3, on March 13, before the Lady Bulldogs captured the 4-2 decision in the SEC Tournament semifinals on April 25. Sunday’s win, which extended UF’s program-record home winning streak to 66 matches, gives the Gators their 26th appearance in the round of 16 at the 28th NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships.

Photo Gallery: Women's Tennis, NCAA Tournament 2nd Round, UF vs. FSU, 5/10/09

Freshman Joanna Mather rallied for three-set singles victory and helpe ...

Updated: May 10, 2009 9:16pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Men's Tennis, NCAA Tournament 1st round vs. Miami, 5/9/09 : The University of Florida men’s tennis team fell, 4-3, against the University of Miami in the second round of NCAA Tournament play Saturday at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The day’s action came down to a final set at third singles between UF’s Antoine Benneteau and Miami’s Carl Sundberg. In a contest that ended more than three hours after singles play began, Sundberg won the deciding set, 6-1, to clinch the match and earn a trip to the Round of 16 for the Hurricanes. The Gators narrowly missed the chance to clinch even before Sundberg and Benneteau began their third set. No. 23 Carlos Cueto served at 5-4 in the third set for what would have been the clinching point. But No. 13 Daniel Vallverdu broke Cueto’s serve, then managed to hold serve and break once again to win, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, and set up the final act on court three. The day began with Cueto and Alex Lacroix cruising, 8-1, at third doubles in 30 minutes. After taking a 7-0 lead on court two, Jeff Dadamo and Johnny Hamui saw their lead shrink to 7-5 as their serve was twice broken. Dadamo, however, held serve in the 13th game to win 8-5 and clinch the doubles point for the Gators. The day, which included first-round NCAA action on the women’s side, drew 490 people to Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.

Photo Gallery: UF Men's Tennis, NCAA Tournament 1st round vs. Miami, 5/9/09

The University of Florida men’s tennis team fell, 4-3, against the U ...

Updated: May 09, 2009 11:49pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis, NCAA Tournament 1st round vs. College of Charleston, 5/9/09 : The University of Florida women’s tennis team defeated College of Charleston, 4-1, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Championships Saturday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators, who improved to 11-0 in NCAA Round of 64 matches, earned a rematch against instate rival Florida State in the second round which takes place Sunday at 2 p.m. in Gainesville. Florida dropped the Feb. 28 regular-season match, 5-2, to Florida State, which captured its first-ever win in the 49-match series history. Florida (15-9) battled past an enthusiastic College of Charleston squad that ended its season with a program-record 24 victories against just five losses. The Gators captured the doubles point for the 16th time this season, with the Nos. 1 and 2 spots collecting wins to give UF the early 1-0 lead in the team scoring. Saturday’s decision also extended UF’s program-record home winning streak to 65 matches, with 12 of those coming in postseason play.

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis, NCAA Tournament 1st round vs. College of Charleston, 5/9/09

The University of Florida women’s tennis team defeated College of Ch ...

Updated: May 09, 2009 9:04pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Men's Tennis vs. Marist, NCAA 1st round, 5/8/09 : The 10th-ranked University of Florida men’s tennis team topped Marist College, 4-0, in first round NCAA Tournament action Friday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The victory sets up a second-round showdown between the Gators and the University of Miami (Fla.) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, also hosted by UF. The Gators nabbed the doubles point in 28 minutes as the 16th-ranked duo of Antoine Benneteau and Joey Burkhardt earned an 8-1 victory on court one, followed moments later by Jeff Dadamo and Johnny Hamui at 8-0 on court two. When doubles play was suspended, Carlos Cueto and Alex Lacroix held a 7-0 edge in third doubles. With the 1-0 edge, UF continued to dominate, clinching the match less than an hour after singles play opened. Cueto, ranked 23rd in the nation, was the first to earn a point, closing out Christian Coley at the No. 1 position 6-1, 6-0 in 54 minutes. Dadamo wrapped up sixth singles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Matt Himmelsbach, and the clincher came from Benneteau, who finished off Nicolas Pisecky 6-0, 6-0 in 58 minutes. Per NCAA Tournament rules, play was suspended once the deciding point was scored. The winner of Saturday’s meeting with Miami earns a spot in the Round of 16, hosted by Texas A&M on May 14 in College Station, Texas.

Photo Gallery: UF Men's Tennis vs. Marist, NCAA 1st round, 5/8/09

The 10th-ranked University of Florida men’s tennis team topped Maris ...

Updated: May 08, 2009 9:47pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. South Carolina, 4/18/09 : The No. 16 University of Florida women’s tennis team defeated No. 20 South Carolina, 4-2, in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The win secured a first-round bye for the Gators in the Southeastern Conference Tournament that begins Thursday in Fayetteville, Ark. Florida (13-8, 7-4 SEC) also capped the day extending its program-record regular-season home win streak to 76, while winning its 64th consecutive overall at home. The Gators received singles victories from Marrit Boonstra, Joanna Mather and Jessica Alexander, after Florida collected the doubles point to capture the dual match against South Carolina (13-9, 6-5). Doubles 1. (57) Marrit Boonstra/Joanna Mather, UF d. (40) Natasa Vuckovic/Ana Zubori, SC 8-6 2. (50) Jessica Alexander/Anastasia Revzina, UF d. Gira Schofield/Dijana Stojic, SC 8-5 3. Miki Jocic/Suzie Mansour, SC d. Brooke Allen/Lauren Wolken, UF 8-1 Singles 1. (8) Marrit Boonstra, UF d. (41) Gira Schofield, SC 6-4, 6-3 2. (51) Ana Zubori, SC d. (40) Anastasia Revzina, UF 6-2, 6-1 3. Joanna Mather, UF d. Dijana Stojic, SC 6-4, 6-0 4. Jessica Alexander, UF d. Natasa Vuckovic, SC 6-1, 6-2 5. Barbara Pinterova, UF led Miki Jocic, SC 6-2, 5-5 DNF 6. Suzie Mansour, SC d. Brooke Allen, UF 6-3, 6-0

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. South Carolina, 4/18/09

The No. 16 University of Florida women’s tennis team defeated No. 20 ...

Updated: Apr 18, 2009 6:29pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. Alabama, 4/10/09 : The University of Florida women’s tennis team opened its regular-season ending three-match homestand with a solid 4-1 victory over Alabama Friday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators (11-7, 5-4 SEC) earned the all-important doubles point to start the match, before Jessica Alexander, Marrit Boonstra and Joanna Mather won their respective singles matches to help Florida extend its program-record regular-season home winning streak to 74. Alabama (13-6, 3-6 SEC) claimed the No. 3 doubles position, but Florida came right back to win the No. 1 spot, where Marrit Boonstra and Joanna Mather defeated Tiffany Welcher and Courtney McLane, 8-2. That left court No. 2 to decide the crucial double-point. Doubles 1. (80) Marrit Boonstra/Joanna Mather, UF d. (73) Tiffany Welcher/Courtney McLane, UA 8-2 2. Anastasia Revzina/Barbara Pinterova, UF d. Paulina Bigos/Taylor Lindsey, UA 9-7* 3. Shelley Godwin/Alice Tunaru, UA d. Brooke Allen/Lauren Wolken, UF 8-1 Singles 1. (8) Marrit Boonstra, UF d. (105) Tiffany Welcher, UA 6-3, 6-2 2. Courtney McLane, UA led (38) Anastasia Revzina, UF 6-4, 3-1 DNF 3. Joanna Mather, UF d. Paulina Bigos, UA 6-3, 6-3* 4. Jessica Alexander, UF d. Meritt Emery, UA 6-4, 6-1 5. Barbara Pinterova, UF led Shelley Godwin, UA 6-4, 1-2 DNF 6. Taylor Lindsey, UA d. Brooke Allen, UF 6-1, 6-1

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. Alabama, 4/10/09

The University of Florida women’s tennis team opened its regular-sea ...

Updated: Apr 10, 2009 6:03pm PST

Super Photo Gallery: UF Men's Tennis vs. Arkansas, 4/5/09 :

Super Photo Gallery: UF Men's Tennis vs. Arkansas, 4/5/09

Updated: Apr 05, 2009 10:07pm PST

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. Stetson, 1/27/09 : The seventh-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team opened its dual match against Stetson needing just 29 minutes to sweep all three doubles matches en route to a 6-1 victory Tuesday at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex. The win, which was the Gators’ 67th consecutive regular-season home victory, provided head coach Roland Thornqvist with the 250th victory in his career and the 175th in his eight years at the helm of the Florida program. The Gators also improved to 7-0 against Stetson (0-1), while winning their 24th consecutive match against other teams from the state of Florida. Florida’s No. 2 doubles team of Jessica Alexander and Anastasia Revzina zipped past Valentina Galbarini and Natalie Gorham, 8-0, in 25 minutes, three minutes ahead of the Gators’ 18th-ranked doubles team of Megan Alexander and Marrit Boonstra, who blanked Breanna Atkinson and Katherine Nowicki to clinch the doubles points. Joanna Mather and Barbara Pinterova punched in their sweep a minute later. The Gators (2-0) carried the momentum from their dominating doubles performances onto the singles courts, where they produced straight-set victories at the five completed matches. UF’s Jessica Alexander retired from her No. 5 match to rest an injury after leading 3-0 in the first set. Junior Megan Alexander provided the clinching dual match victory, defeating Katherine Nowicki, 6-3, 6-1 on court No. 3, breaking the Hatter at love in the final game, to collect her 50th career singles win. Revzina was the first Gator to post a singles victory during the dual match, opening her No. 2 bout with a break of Breanna Atkinson en route to winning the first four games of the match. Revzina turned up her game to earn the decisive 6-1, 6-1 victory in 53 minutes, giving the Gators a 2-1 lead. Mather was the next Gator off the court, as she held at love to begin her No. 4 match, racing out to a 5-0 lead before Shannon Gunning got on the board. The Hatter held to open the second, but the Gator rookie earned breaks in the third and fifth games, while never giving up her serve, as she claimed the 6-1, 6-2 decision in 61 minutes. Boonstra again played the No. 1 singles spot and claimed the 6-2, 6-2 victory over Valentina Galbarini. The Gator junior earned breaks in the first, fifth and seventh games to take the opening frame, before striking again in the third and fifth games of the second, holding serve throughout the set and ending by holding at love. Pinterova collected early breaks in both of her sets against Natalie Gorham and road those throughout as the Hatter tried to rally. The Gator newcomer, however, dug deep and prevented a comeback by earning a break in the important eighth game after Gorham had just broken and was at the baseline trying to get the set back on-serve. Pinterova withstood the pressure of being the last match on court and capped the event by serving out for the 6-4, 6-4 victory and provide the final margin of the team score. Florida continues its busy week, next playing host to the first and second rounds of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday. The Gators face Oklahoma State in the opening round at 10 a.m., before South Alabama and Western Michigan play at 2 p.m. The early rounds of the 64-team event can be played on outdoor courts, as UF and the Ring Tennis Complex earned the right to host the opening stages of the tournament. Men’s action gets underway on Friday at 10 a.m., with second round competition on Saturday. Admission to all matches is free.

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis vs. Stetson, 1/27/09

The seventh-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team opened ...

Updated: Jan 28, 2009 11:49am PST

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis Fall Classic : Photos by Casey Brooke Lawson -- The University of Florida’s Anastasia Revzina fell just short of capturing the 2008 Gator Fall Classic Flight A singles title, dropping a hard-fought three-setter to Notre Dame’s Kristy Frilling in the final at the Ring Tennis Complex on Sunday. In the sweltering heat, the Gator junior dug deep and almost rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the third-set 10-point super-tiebreaker, but the Irish freshman kept her cool and captured the first singles title of her collegiate career with a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory in the final. “It thought it was good tennis,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We have to return better than we did this weekend, but that’s one of the things that comes with not playing a lot of matches. Frilling’s lefty serve gave us some trouble and we were not were we wanted to be at the start of points. You have to tip your hat to Frilling, though, she won three matches today in this temperature.” The match concluded the season-opening three-day tournament, where the Gators were able to face quality competition and learn about their respective games. “Overall, I thought we played pretty well,” Thornqivst said. “We need work on our serves and returns this week. This was a great tournament for us to have to prepare us for practice and the rest of the fall season.” UF’s Megan Alexander, who advanced to semifinals of the Gator Fall Classic Flight A Singles draw after her upset of Notre Dame’s top-seeded and 43rd-ranked Kelcy Tefft, lost on Sunday to Revzina, 6-4, 7-6 (3). “It’s kind of a bummer because you want to win, but then you don’t want to beat your teammate,” Alexander said of facing her fellow Gator junior. “I love playing Anastasia because she’s really fair and is still encouraging and complimentary. I just tried to think of it as practice. “I was very happy with my overall play during the weekend,” Alexander continued. “This was a good opening tournament for us and it was great to get some matches in before the Riviera All-American next week. This weekend helped show me areas of my game that I need to work on so it was great.” UF sophomore Marrit Boonstra was trying to make the Flight A final an all-Gator affair, but couldn’t fend off the efficient play of Frilling and ended her tournament run with a 6-2, 6-3 loss in the semifinals. The three-day event also was a chance for freshman Jo Mather to get her first taste of collegiate competition. On Sunday, she dropped her final singles match of the tournament 0-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6), falling in a third-set 10-point super-tiebreaker for the second consecutive day. “I was a little nervous, but I’m happy I got the chance to play here at home for my first tournament,” Mather shared. “I need to build up my confidence in college tennis, I haven’t quite got that yet.” The Gators next travel to Pacific Palisades, Calif., to compete in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. Four members of the squad will participate, with Mather beginning her singles experience in the 64-player prequalifying draw, where eight advance to the qualifying competition. She also pairs with Revzina in the 32-team doubles draw, aiming to be one of the four tandems that advance to the qualifying draw. Prequalifying is held September 27-28 and takes place at Pepperdine University, with the rest of the tournament moving to the Riviera Tennis Club. Qualifying competition for the prestigious national event considered the first leg of the collegiate Grand Slam begins September 30, with the main draw getting underway on October 2nd. Revzina, Alexander and Boonstra earned a spot in the 64-player singles qualifying draw, where eight advance to the main draw. On the strength of their regional and national ranking, sixth-ranked Alexander and Boonstra received an automatic spot in the 16-team doubles main draw.

Photo Gallery: UF Women's Tennis Fall Classic

Photos by Casey Brooke Lawson -- The University of Florida’s Ana ...

Updated: Sep 25, 2008 7:04pm PST

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