Florida State University Athletics
1/26/2020 9:05:13 PM | Men's Tennis
Austin, Texas.- The No. 21 ranked Florida State men’s tennis team (6-1) suffered their first loss of the season to No. 1 ranked Texas (4-0) on Sunday at the Texas Tennis Center. The Seminoles fell 4-0 in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend championship match.
“We got off to a slow start in doubles,” said head coach Dwayne Hultquist. “I thought we came out strong in singles getting early breaks at one, two, three, and six. I was pleased with the effort of the seniors (Alex Knaff and Rana-Roop Singh Bhullar) who were both winning when Texas clinched the match.”
The Garnet and Gold started the match down 1-0 after losing the doubles point to Texas. The Longhorns earned 6-1 victories on courts one and three. Knaff and junior Sebastian Arcila were the first to fall on court one and were soon followed by FSU’s junior duo of Marcus Walters and Chase Wood losing 6-1 on court three.
The Longhorns continued their momentum from singles as they took four of the six first sets from the Noles. They took the 2-0 lead starting with court four, taking it 6-1, 6-4. Texas extended their lead with another straight-set win on court three, 6-3, 6-3.
The Seminoles were defeated on court five 6-4, 6-2 to close out the match. On courts one and two, seniors Knaff and Bhullar earned first set victories and were battling out in their second sets when the Longhorns clinched the match.
“I am disappointed Alex (Knaff) didn’t get to finish his match against the No.2 ranked singles player (Yuya Ito) as he was up a set and 4-1 in the second,” said Hultquist. “Now we look forward to playing this weekend at Lake Nona against Florida on the Tennis Channel, which should be a very exciting match.”
Florida State heads to Lake Nona, Fla. to take part in the College MatchDay Series against the Florida Gators at the USTA National Campus on the first of February.
To keep up with the Seminoles, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, or keep up with the team on social media through Twitter (@FSU_MTennis), Facebook (/FSUMTennis), and Instagram (@FSU_MTennis).
#1 Texas 4, #21 Florida State 0
Singles competition
- #2 Yuya Ito (UT) vs. Alex Knaff (FS) 6-7 (3-7), 1-4, unfinished
- #13 Christian Sigsgaard (UT) vs. Juan Martin Jalif (FS) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
- #53 Siem Woldeab (UT) def. Sebastian Arcila (FS) 6-3, 6-3
- Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Marcus Walters (FS) 6-1, 6-4
- Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Loris Pourroy (FS) 6-4, 6-2
- Cleeve Harper (UT) vs. #92 Rana Roop Bhullar (FS) 3-6, 4-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
- #4 Christian Sigsgaard/Yuya Ito (UT) def. Alex Knaff/Sebastian Arcila (FS) 6-1
- Eliot Spizzirri/Jacob Bullard (UT) vs. Loris Pourroy/Juan Martin Jalif (FS) 4-3, unfinished
- Chih Chi Huang/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Marcus Walters/Chase Wood (FS) 6-1
Match Notes:
Florida State 6-1; National ranking #21
Texas 4-0; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,3,5)
