Florida men’s tennis had three players begin play at the ITA All-American Championships as singles pre-qualifying action kicked off on Saturday at the University of Tulsa, with freshman Andrew Butz (Vero Beach, Fla.) advancing through the day’s action and moving into the third round of pre-qualifying on Sunday.
Butz had a first-round bye before topping TCU’s Zach Nichols in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. He will next face Georgia Tech’s Dean O’Brien on Sunday, needing two wins to advance into the qualifying rounds.
Freshman Michael Alford (Tampa, Fla.) picked up a first-round victory over SMU’s Mason Harell, 6-1, 6-3, before falling to Nebraska’s Benedikt Lindheim in the second round. In addition, sophomore Billy Federhofer (North Miami, Fla.) fell in first-round action to Texas Tech’s Vitor Manzini.
Butz is scheduled to take on O’Brien at 9 a.m. (CT) on Sunday with the winner to face either Chris Mengel of Duke or North Carolina’s Cameron Ahari for a spot in the qualifying draw, which begins on Monday.
Saturday, Oct. 2, Results – Florida Only
ITA All-American Championships
Tulsa, Okla.
Singles Pre-Qualifying
First Round
Michael Alford (UF) def. Mason Harell (SMU) – 6-1, 6-3
Vitor Manzini (Texas Tech) def. Billy Federhofer (UF) – 6-4, 0-6, 6-2
Second Round
Benedikt Lindheim (Nebraska) def. Michael Alford (UF) – 6-2, 6-1
Andrew Butz (UF) def. Zach Nichols (TCU) – 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
