Men's Tennis Opens at Bedford Cup

ORLANDO, Fla. – After having two fall tournaments cancelled, North Florida men's tennis kicks off its 2018 campaign on Friday at the Bedford Cup hosted by UCF at the USTA Collegiate Center.

UNF faces off with a loaded field, featuring players from 10 Division I schools across the state of Florida. Tournament play opens on Friday morning and winners will advance until Sunday afternoon.

The Bedford Cup begins with doubles each morning at 8:30 a.m. Players are guaranteed at least three singles and two doubles matches as long as weather permits. Draws will be announced when they become available.

Second-year head coach Matt Lucas leads an Ospreys squad that won back-to-back ASUN Regular Season Championships and the program's second ASUN Tournament championship in three years.

"We are definitely excited to get on the court and watch the guys compete in the first event of the season," said Lucas. "It has been a grueling preseason and they are anxious to test themselves against the best players from schools across Florida. This is a special event as it represents the Youth Tennis Foundation of Florida, and all the hard work they put into the young tennis players across the state. We are honored to be able to compete in the event again."

This year's squad is made up of talented newcomers and seasoned returners. Take a look at this year's roster:

Newcomers:
Dominik Barton – The freshman comes to Jacksonville as one of the top 30 players in the Czech Republic. He finished as a quarterfinalist in the F38 Futures in Egypt.

Federico Nani – A junior transfer from Florida A&M where he had a 6-2 record in the No. 2 position in singles play, and an 8-5 mark in doubles play, going 4-0 in MEAC play.

Jorge Nunez – A sophomore transfer from the University of Denver where he played at No. 3 and No. 4 as a freshman. Missing the Bedford due to injury.

Returners:
Charley Castaing – A returning junior and member of the 2018 ASUN championship team.

Nilo Duarte – The sophomore returns after a freshman season in which he went 11-14 overall in singles, winning five matches in Atlantic Sun play. He was a member of the 2018 ASUN All-Freshman Team and All-Conference second team in singles.

Joe Ellis – The returning sophomore competed in 27 matches last season, winning three ASUN matches.

Sahil Deshmukh – The senior comes off a successful 2017-2018 campaign where he went 19-13 in singles and 19-11 in doubles competition, while going undefeated in ASUN play. He was a member of the 2018 ASUN All-Conference second team in singles and doubles
Till Von Winning – A returning senior who comes off a junior year which saw him go 16-13 in singles, with a season-high 15 doubles wins with Sahil Deshmukh en route to the 2018 ASUN Championship.

"Personally I am eager to see the progress the returning guys have made from last spring, as well as the three new guys competing for the first time as Ospreys," added Lucas. "Our goal is to play with passion, energy, toughness, and desire – which is the Osprey Way. If we accomplish those things, the results take care of themselves. SWOOP!"

After the Bedford, the Ospreys continue fall play at the Mercer Invitational the first weekend of October.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dominik Barton

Charley Castaing

Sahil Deshmukh

Nilo Duarte

Joe Ellis

Federico Nani

Jorge Nunez

Till Von Winning

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