Men’s Tennis Handles Buffalo, 5-2

Sunday, February 10

Jacksonville, Fla.

12:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

Buffalo

Action shot of Sahil Deshmukh delivering a serve.

2/10/2019 5:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score UNF 5, Buffalo 2

Ospreys Sweep Home-Opening Weekend

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UNF cleaned up in doubles, dug deep in singles and eventually overcame visiting Buffalo, 5-2, to complete a home-opening weekend sweep Sunday, Feb. 10, from the UNF Tennis Complex.

The Ospreys (4-3) cruised to a 1-0 lead behind a dominant performance at doubles. Till Von Winning and Nilo Duarte won 6-2 and Jorge Nunez and Federico Nani shut things down at number-three doubles, 6-0. Sahil Deshmukh and Dominik Barton were leading 4-2 at second doubles before their match was left unfinished.

Some exciting matches with long points and momentum shifts ensued in singles. Both teams traded blows with quick wins as Nunez secured a 6-1, 6-2 win at the fourth slot, while Nittolo ousted Von Winning 6-1, 6-3.

Up 2-1, Federico Nani gave UNF some cushion by staving off a second-set comeback from Buffalo's Simon Wibler, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Buffalo (2-2) cut the deficit to one a second time, winning number-five singles.

The match came down to Deshmukh and Barton at number one and three, and both of them came through with resilient three-set victories. Deshmukh notched the clinching win against Vilhelm Fridell and Barton rebounded from a 6-1 defeat in set two to sweep set three, 6-0.

Coach Lucas' Comments:
"I have so much respect for Lee [Nickell] and what he's built at Buffalo. I knew what they were going to bring and the quality of play and quality of fight, so I was aware that we were going to be in for a tough match. This is probably start to finish the best that we've played all year and it took that type of effort to get that win. The thing that I was probably most happy about was the energy that we brought. In doubles we were on fire, flying around the court, and that's the start we needed. I feel like we have a lot of interchangeable parts, and we are just trying to find the best energy combinations." -- Head coach Matt Lucas

Notes:

UNF is 2-0 all-time against Buffalo.
The last time UNF took on a MAC team was on March 15, 2006 against Northern Illinois. It was a 7-0 win for the Ospreys.
Head coach Matt Lucas used to coach at Buffalo, serving alongside current head coach Lee Nickell.
Barton moves to 13-5 on the season in singles play. He's 7-3 in his last 10.
The Ospreys are 24-14 overall in doubles play.

UNF 5 , Buffalo 2
Feb. 10, 2019 | UNF Tennis Complex | Jacksonville, Fla.

Singles
1. Sahil Deshmukh (UNF) def. Vilhelm Fridell (UB) 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
2. Ethan Nittolo (BU) def. Till Von Winning (UNF) 6-1, 6-3
3. Dominik Barton (UNF) def. Hao Sheng Koay (UB) 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 6-0
4. Jorge Nunez (UNF) def. Nickolas Frisk (UB) 6-1, 6-2
5. Matthew Johnson (UB) def. Nilo Duarte 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
6. Federico Nani (UNF) def. Simon Wibler (UB) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)

Doubles
1. Von Winning/Duarte (UNF) def. Fridell/Wibler (UB) 6-2
2. Deshmukh/Barton (UNF) vs. Nittolo/Sheng Koay (UB) 4-2, unfinished
3. Nunez/Nani (UNF) def. Johnson/Holm (UB) 6-0

Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1); Singles (4, 2, 6, 5, 1, 3)
Time: 2:55
Attendance: 52

Up Next:
The ASUN opener at FGCU awaits UNF Saturday, Feb. 16, at 5:00 p.m.