LAKE NONA, Fla. - North Florida (3-2) men's tennis battled but came up short against UCF (2-6) in a challenging AAC matchup Friday afternoon at the USTA National Campus.
In doubles play,
PJ Kotan made his season debut with
Matt Carroll and earned a 6-2 win in the second slot. However,
Jonas Hartenstein and
Rodrigo Crespo fell to No. 48 Lletyon Cronje and Bogdan Pavel, 6-3. With the point decision left up to
Andreas Scott and
Breno Marques on the final court, UCF was able to secure the win to give the Knights a 1-0 lead in the match.
With the Ospreys looking to bounce back, singles play started off slow as UCF won at the fourth and third slots. With the Knights needing one more point to clinch, Crespo was able to defeat his opponent in three sets at the second position. Hartenstein secured a point in the top slot to cut UCF's lead to 3-2. Kotan went into a long seven-point tiebreaker in the fifth position that lingered twice the necessary limit. He would come up just short despite a valiant effort, falling 14-12, allowing UCF to clinch.
The Ospreys will return home to Jacksonville to host Charleston Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. at the UNF Tennis Complex.
Post Match Notes From Coach Lucas:
Singles competition
1.
Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) def. Bogdan Pavel (UCF) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
2.
Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) def. Lleyton Cronje (UCF) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def.
Matt Carroll (UNF) 6-4, 6-3
4. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def.
Andreas Scott (UNF) 6-1, 6-2
5. Liam Branger (UCF) def.
Breno Marques (UNF) 0-6, 6-2, 7-5
6. Francisco Llanes (UCF) def.
PJ Kotan (UNF) 6-2, 7-6
Doubles competition
1. #48 Lleyton Cronje/Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def.
Jonas Hartenstein/
Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) 6-3
2.
PJ Kotan/
Matt Carroll (UNF) def. Yassine Dlimi/Liam Branger (UCF) 6-2
3. Francisco Llanes/Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def.
Andreas Scott/
Breno Marques (UNF) 6-3
Match Notes:
North Florida 3-2; National ranking #73
UCF 2-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,3,2,1,6,5)
A-50
Osprey Notes:
- The Ospreys are ranked No. 73 in the ITA Team Rankings
- UCF now has an 11-8 all-time record over UNF
- The Knights gave the Ospreys their second loss of the season
- UNF is back on the road Tuesday, March 2 against Georgia Southern
- It's the second-straight week UNF has played at the USTA National Campus
- Six non conference matches remain until conference play begins
