FORT MYERS, Fla. - North Florida men's tennis looks for its second straight ASUN Tournament Title as it begins its quest against fourth-seeded FGCU on Saturday in the semifinals at 5 p.m.
MATCH DAY CENTRAL
SATURDAY, APRIL 22 - 5 p.m.
WHAT: No. 68 North Florida (14-6) vs. FGCU (8-12)
WHERE: Fort Myers, Fla. (FGCU Tennis Complex)
FOLLOW: Live Stats
THE SERIES: UNF leads 8-4
LAST TIME: The Ospreys opened the season against the Eagles on their home court and North Florida came away with the 6-1 victory. UNF grabbed the doubles point with wins in the No. 2 and 3 positions before taking wins in singles positions 1-5.
Sahil Deshmukh clinched the match in the No. 5 spot
NOTEABLES
- The two teams last met in the ASUN tournament in the championship game in 2015 when the Eagles took the 4-3 victory.
- North Florida has taken down FGCU in the semifinals in both 2014 and 2013
- In the most recent ITA rankings, back-to-back ASUN Player of the Year senior
Jack Findel-Hawkins earned a No. 66 position this week, while junior
Jefta Kecic moved to No. 123. In doubles play, Findel-Hawkins and Kecic are ranked No. 46 in the nation.
- Deshmukh enters the match on a five-game win streak after posting an undefeated record in ASUN play. Doubles partner
Jonathan Deautriell has also won four straight in singles, while the duo has paired up for a six-match win stretch in the No. 3 spot.
- FGCU won three of the last four meetings, but prior to 2015, the Ospreys had a seven-match win streak against the Eagles.
OPPONENT NOTES
- The Eagles took down USC Upstate in the quarterfinals with a 5-1 victory.
- Felipe Ramirez leads the team with 10-3 mark in singles including a 5-1 record in ASUN play, while Javier Fernandez also went 5-1 in league action and owns a team-best 20 singles victories.
- FGCU struggled to find a doubles line up that worked as they used almost 20 pairs across the season. In ASUN matches, Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz posted a 2-0 mark in the No. 3 spot, while Andres Alfonzo and Ezequiel Cerrini also boasted two wins.
LOOKING AHEAD
With a win the Ospreys move on to the Championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m.
