Singles Rally Foils Upset Bid

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 31 Stanford wrapped up ITA Kick-Off Weekend competition with a 4-2 loss at No. 13 Florida on Sunday morning.

The Cardinal (1-2) grabbed an early lead by winning the doubles point but the Gators’ depth proved to be too much in singles.

With four programs ranked among the nation’s top-32, Stanford was slotted into one of the most balanced regional sites in the country. The Cardinal fell to No. 29 South Carolina 4-1 on Saturday in the opening round.

Stanford moved in front 1-0 on the strength of its doubles, needing less than 35 minutes to claim the point. The No. 3 duo of Nolan Paige and Trey Strobel cruised to a 6-1 victory before the No. 2 tandem of Tom Fawcett and Maciek Romanowicz ran away with a 6-2 triumph.

David Wilczynski was solid at the lower part of the lineup. Moving up to the No. 5 spot, Wilczynski breezed past Chase Perez-Blanco 6-1, 6-0 to provide the Cardinal with a 2-0 lead.

Florida (3-1) then took control, winning four singles matches in a row. The clincher came at the No. 3 position, where Gordon Watson edged John Morrissey 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Stanford returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 31, hosting UNLV at 2 p.m. at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

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No. 13 Florida 4, No. 31 Stanford 2

DOUBLES
1) Morrissey/Stineman (STAN) vs. No. 32 Hidalgo/Watson (FLA) abandoned
2) Fawcett/Romanowicz (STAN) d. No. 49 Lipman/Orkin (FLA) 6-2
3) Paige/Trey Strobel (STAN) d. No. 43 Landert/Josh Wardell (FLA) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2

SINGLES
1) No. 25 Tom Fawcett (STAN) vs. No. 34 Maxx Lipman (FLA) abandoned
2) No. 81 Elliott Orkin (FLA) d. Maciek Romanowicz (STAN) 6-1, 7-5
3) Gordon Watson (FLA) d. John Morrissey (STAN) 7-6 (2), 6-2
4) No. 60 Diego Hidalgo (FLA) d. Nolan Paige (STAN) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
5) David Wilczynski (STAN) d. Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) 6-1, 6-0
6) Oliver Landert (FLA) d. Robert Stineman (STAN) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 2, 4, 3