CHICAGO – No. 10-ranked and No. 9-seeded Stanford won four consecutive singles matches, punctuated by a three-set clincher from Timothy Sah, to earn a 4-1 victory over No. 4-ranked and No. 4-seeded Florida Sunday night at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
The Cardinal (7-2), facing its fifth consecutive top-20 foe away from The Farm, responded quickly and convincingly from a doubles-point defeat to hand the Gators (6-2) their second defeat of the year.
Freshman Alexandre Rotsaert got it started with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2, followed moments later by sophomore Axel Geller's 6-2, 6-1 win over No. 20 Oliver Crawford at No. 1.
Next, it was senior Sameer Kumar with a 6-3, 6-3 win to inch the Cardinal closer.
However, the real drama was playing out at No. 6, where Sah dropped his first set (2-6) and was one game from elimination at 4-5 in the second set to Florida's McClain Kessler. Sah seized momentum in the match from there, storming back to earn a 7-5 second-set victory. The sophomore then went up early in the decisive third set and held off Kessler for a 7-5 match-clinching win.
Stanford returns home, where it will play its next eight dual matches. The Cardinal will begin the homestand this coming Friday (Feb. 22) against UC Davis at 2 p.m. at Taube Tennis Stadium.
No. 10 Stanford 4, No. 4 Florida 1
DOUBLES
1. Duarte Vale/McClain Kessler (FLA) d. Axel Geller/Alexandre Rotsaert (STAN) 7-5
2. Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (FLA) d. Sameer Kumar/Timothy Sah (STAN) 6-4
3. No. 35 Oliver Crawford/ Sam Riffice (FLA) led William Genesen/Jack Barber (STAN) 5-3
Order of Finish: 2,1
SINGLES
1. No. 10 Axel Geller (STAN) d. No. 20 Oliver Crawford (FLA) 6-2, 6-1
2. No. 61 Alexandre Rotsaert (STAN) d. No. 67 Sam Riffice (FLA) 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 27 Andy Andrade (FLA) led No. 33 William Genesen (STAN) 6-4, 3-6, 5-4, unfinished
4. No. 43 Sameer Kumar (STAN) d. No. 46 Johannes Ingildsen (FLA) 6-3, 6-3
5. No. 109 Duarte Vale (FLA) led Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) 2-6, 7-6 (1), 5-1, unfinished
6. Timothy Sah (STAN) d. McClain Kessler (FLA) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5
