@CanesMensTennis At Bedford Cup
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – All three University of Miami Hurricanes at the Bedford Cup – State of Florida Championships advanced to the round of 32 Thursday at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center.
“Henrique, Jack and Bernard had a full day of tennis today and all had solid performances,” said assistant coach Mark Dickson. “They each showed excellent improvement in their games under a variety of pressure situations. In their first round matches, they were each able to dictate play and turn the momentum their way on the big points. In their later matches, each came up just a little short but they are optimistic for the remainder of the weekend.”
Junior Henrique Tsukamoto, who was seeded in the No. 9-16 group, started the season with a 6-3, 6-3 straight-sets win over Robbie Dubuque from FAU. With the win, he advanced to the Round of the 32.
Freshman Bernard Tefel won the first match of his UM career, defeating Diego Garavito from Bethune-Cookman in three sets. Tefel lost the first set 2-6, but came back strong with 6-3, 6-4 victories to get the Canes’ second win of the day.
Sophomore Jack Murphy downed Jason Ulacio from FAMU, 6-1, 6-0. The Florida native rounded out the Canes’ sweep in the Round of 64.
“Jack served especially well today and Henrique’s movement around the court was fantastic,” added Dickson. “Bernard was playing in his first two college matches and he discovered another level of aggressiveness in his game.”
The Round of 32 ended differently for Miami as the three Canes fall in straight sets. Henrique Tsukamoto was defeated by Inaki Espindola of UCF 7-6(4), 6-4. The Brazilian native battled in both sets but saw his singles tournament end on the first day.
Bernard Tefel, new to the college tennis atmosphere, fell to Yannick Zuern of UNF, 6-2, 4-6. Zuern was seeded in the No. 9-16 group.
Jack Murphy fell in straight sets to Stetson sophomore Simon Julin, seeded in the No. 5-8 group, 6-1, 7-5.
All three Canes will continue in the consolation bracket of the tournament on Saturday in Tallahassee.
“I was most impressed with everyone’s sportsmanship and competitiveness and the fact that as soon as we were finished with tennis for the day they immediately left to cheer for our women’s soccer team in their game against FSU,” said Dickson.
With singles play complete, the Canes turned to doubles competition. While playing resiliently, the Tsukamoto/Murphy doubles combo fell to Zuern/Gomes of UNF. The set, which ended 8-4, was the last match of the day at the Bedford Cup.
“Our team’s high level of physical fitness all throughout the day was excellent,” concluded Dickson. “Their morning workouts with strength coach Andrew Klich have made a big difference in their strength and stamina.”
Stay up to date with the tournament results on HurricaneSports.com. To interact with the UM men’s tennis team socially, follow @CanesMensTennis on Twitter and like on Facebook.
Singles Results
Round of 64
No. 9-16 Henrique Tsukamoto def. Robbie Dubuque (FAU), 6-3, 6-3
Bernard Tefel def. Diego Garavito (B-CU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jack Murphy def. Jason Ulacio (FAMU), 6-1, 6-0
Round of 32
Inaki Espindola (UCF) def. Tsukamoto 7-6, 6-4
No. 9-16 Yannick Zuern (UNF) def. Tefel, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5-8 Simon Julin (Stetson) def. Jack Murphy, 6-1, 5-7
Doubles Results
Zuern/Gomes (UNF) def. Tsukamoto/Murphy, 8-4
