Men's Tennis Streak Halted By No. 24 Florida

Box Score (PDF)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Riding a three-match win streak, the Arkansas men’s tennis team fell at No. 24 Florida Friday evening by a score of 6-1. Giammarco Micolani won his third-consecutive match, including his second straight over a ranked opponent, when he defeated the Gators’ No. 51 Chase Perez-Blanco in three sets.

With the loss, the Razorbacks fell to 13-4 on the season with a 3-2 record in SEC play. All four of the team’s defeats this year have been to teams currently ranked in the top 30.

To begin the day, Florida won the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The Arkansas top pair of No. 31 Micolani and Mike Redlicki had a tough matchup with the No. 2 nationally-ranked duo of Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson, who pulled off a 6-3 win.

In singles, the Gators jumped out to a 3-0 team lead with wins at No. 5 and No. 6. While the first three matches went into three sets, Micolani extended his match at No. 4 by taking the second set 7-5 after facing a 5-4 deficit.

With four matches still alive, the Razorbacks still had a fighting chance, but a win by No. 33 Elliott Orkin over Jose Salazar at No. 2 clinched the fourth point for the Gators. As the final players out on the court, Micolani took his third set 6-3 over Perez-Blanco to grab the lone point of the day for Arkansas.

UP NEXT
The team has to have a short memory, as Andy Jackson’s bunch continues its weekend of SEC play on the road. The Razorbacks visit Auburn on Sunday for a 1 p.m. first serve at Yarbrough Tennis Center.

TODAY’S RESULTS

DOUBLES
1. #2 Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson (FLA) def. #31 Giammarco Micolani/Mike Redlicki (AR) 6-3
2. #60 Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (FLA) def. Jose Salazar/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-2
3. Alfredo Perez/Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) def. Santiago Munoz/Johan den Toom (AR) 5-4

SINGLES
1. #21 Diego Hidalgo (FLA) def. #43 Mike Redlicki (AR) 6-3, 3-6, 5-1
2. #33 Elliott Orkin (FLA) def. Jose Salazar (AR) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
3. #75 Alfredo Perez (FLA) def. Santiago Munoz (AR) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
4. Giammarco Micolani (AR) def. #51 Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
5. Gordon Watson (FLA) def. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-4, 6-3
6. McClain Kessler (FLA) def. Johan den Toom (AR) 6-2, 6-4

ORDER OF FINISH
Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,5,2,1,3,4)