Miami Cruises to Third Straight Win

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team tallied its third straight and fifth overall victory of the season on Friday, defeating the Central Florida Knights, 4-0, at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.

Following a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay, the Hurricanes (5-2) and the Knights (1-6) got right to business in doubles action. Miami tallied the first doubles victory of the evening with a 6-2 win by sophomore Martin Katz and freshman Antonio Prat on court three.

The Knights quickly tied the doubles portion at one-all when No. 48 Lleyton Cronje and Bogdan Pavel bested fifth-year senior Juan Martin Jalif and freshman Martin Vergara Del Puerto, 3-6.

With the doubles point on the line, graduate student Dan Martin and fifth-year senior Franco Aubone recorded a 6-2 win on court two for their third win as a doubles duo this spring.

Graduate student Leo Bierbaum extended Miami’s lead to 2-0 with a decisive 6-1, 6-0 win over UCF’s Francisco Llanes at sixth singles.

Freshman Nacho Serra Sanchez improved to 4-1 in dual match play this season, defeating Liam Branger on court five, 6-3, 6-1.

Just seconds after Serra Sanchez recorded his victory, Prat clinched the match for the Hurricanes on court two, besting UCF’s Yassine Dlimi, 6-2, 6-2. Prat is now 2-0 when playing at second singles this spring.

At the time of clinching, Martin and Katz were battling back from first-set losses, while Aubone was fending off defeat on court four.

The Hurricanes return to action at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on Saturday, Feb. 25 when they host the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at 3 p.m.