No. 47 Men's Tennis Falls to No. 31 FSU
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 47 Miami Hurricanes men’s tennis team fell to in-state rivals No. 31 Florida State, 1-6, on Saturday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
After playing doubles, Miami recognized the careers of three seniors: Omar Aly, Gabriel Flores and Diego Soto.
“It was a really close match,” head coach Mario Rincon said. “We had a lot of opportunities but FSU played the big points really well and we gave them everything we had and they were better than us today.”
The Noles secured the doubles point to start off the afternoon. Partners William Albanese and Henrique Tsukamoto finished first, falling to FSU partners Blake Davis and Cristian Gonzalez Mendez, 8-3. Senior duo Gabriel Flores and Diego Soto fell to the same fate with an 8-4 loss to Michael Rinaldi and Grayson Goldin. Doubles partners Omar Aly and Wilfredo Gonzalez defeated Dominic Cotrone and Marco Nunez 8-4 for the Canes’ only doubles victory.
Although the Canes trailed the Noles going into singles, they remained competitive throughout the singles portion of the match. Flores put the first point on the board for the Canes beating his opponent, No. 121 Cristian Gonzalez Mendez, 6-0, 7-6 (7-1). It was Flores’ third singles victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Aly, Gonzalez and Tsukamoto all pushed their matches into a third set. No. 66 Aly fell to No. 90 Cotrone 6-3, 2-6, 3-6, then junior Gonzalez lost to Davis 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 2-6.Tsukamoto fell to FSU’s Michael Rinaldi 2-6, 6-4, 4-6. Danny Shebshayevich, who only played singles today, lost in straight sets to his opponent, Grayson Goldin, 1-6, 4-6.
“We still have a lot of tennis left,” head coach Mario Rincon said. “We are looking forward to the ACC Tournament next week.”
The ACC Tournament starts April 24 in Cary, N.C. Pairings for the event will be announced on Sunday, April 20.
Make sure to stay connected with the Canes and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CanesMensTennis.
#31 Florida State 6, #47 Miami 1
Singles Competition
1. #90 Dominic Cotrone (FSU) def. #66 Omar Aly (UM) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. Gabriel Flores (UM) def. #121 Cristian Gonzalez Mendez (FSU) 6-0, 7-6 (7-1)
3. Marco Nunez (FSU) def. Diego Soto (UM) 7-5, 6-1
4. Blake Davis (FSU) def. Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2
5. Michael Rinaldi (FSU) def. Henrique Tsukamoto (UM) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
6. Grayson Goldin (FSU) def. Danny Shebshayevich (UM) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. Omar Aly/Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) def. Dominic Cotrone/Marco Nunez (FSU) 8-4
2. Michael Rinaldi/Grayson Goldin (FSU) def. Gabriel Flores/Diego Soto (UM) 8-4
3. Blake Davis/Cristian Gonzalez Mendez (FSU) def. William Albanese/Henrique Tsukamoto (UM) 8-3
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6, 3, 2, 4, 1, 5)
