MTennis Set to Host No. 58 Minnesota
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After a pair of conference matches last weekend, the No. 70 University of Miami men’s tennis team will resume its non-conference schedule with a match against No. 58 Minnesota on Tuesday, March 19 at 2 p.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The last time the Hurricanes and Golden Gophers met was in 2010 when Minnesota ended Miami’s five-match winning streak with a tough 4-3 win.
Head coach Mario Rincon remembers that match and expects this year’s battle to be similar.
“Minnesota is a really good team,” Rincon said. “They have a couple of quality wins already this season. Two years ago we played them here in a really close match that we loss. We anticipate another tough battle on Tuesday but our players are looking forward to the challenge.”
Miami (10-5, 1-1 ACC) is coming off a narrow 4-3 victory over conference foe Georgia Tech. After the Hurricanes dropped the doubles point, Gabriel Flores capped off an all-around solid singles performance by the team with his 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, match-deciding win at No. 1 singles over Juan Melian.
Wilfredo Gonzalez turned in the first singles victory of the day, defeating Eduardo Segura, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 3 singles for his team-leading 11th win of the season.
The Hurricanes also got production from sixth singles as rookie William Albanese continued his strong season with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Garrett Gordon.
Marco Stancati followed suit with a straight set victory of his own, topping Anish Sharma 6-2, 6-4, giving the Canes a 3-1 lead and setting Gabriel Flores up for the match-clinching win.
The Golden Gophers (4-7, 0-1 Big Ten) enter Tuesday coming off a two-week break with their last match ending in an upset victory over then-No. 14 Washington on March 3.
Rok Bonin, who comes into the match with a 7-3 record, has been Minnesota’s primary No. 1 singles player. In doubles, Mathieu Froment and Rok Bonin have been the most successful pairing for Minnesota, posting a 3-3 record on the dual season.
Minnesota has gone winless in road matches this season with a 0-4 record so far this spring.
For more information on the University of Miami men’s tennis team, visit HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM men’s tennis team socially, visit Twitter.com/CanesMensTennis and Facebook at /MiamiHurricanesMensTennis
