Nov. 1, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Kentucky men’s tennis player Bruno Agostinelli will face the nation’s top-ranked singles player in the semifinals of the 10th-annual Charles Fluitt Invitational hosted by the Wildcats at the Boone Tennis Center on Sunday. Admission is free to the public.
Agostinelli dispatched his two opponents with ease Saturday, dropping only three games through both matches. The two wins by the UK senior set up a rematch with No. 1 seed Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State, the top ranked player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) pre-season singles poll. Last month at the ITA All-American Championships, Agostinelli was up a set and a break on Nedovyesov before being forced to retire because of leg cramps.
Now playing in his third singles semifinal in four fall tournaments, 19th-ranked and third-seeded Agostinelli increased his record to 14-3 this year after defeating Bryan Swartz of Tennessee 6-0, 6-2 in his first-round match. The Wildcat knocked off another Volunteer in the second round, beating Christian Hansen 6-1, 6-0.
The top four seeds advanced to the semifinals. Second-seeded Denes Lukacs of Baylor is the nation’s No. 2 player in the polls and is the defending Fluitt singles champion. Lukacs faces fourth-seeded Boris Conkic of Tennessee in the other semifinal Sunday.
UK freshman Eric Quigley already battled against Nedovyesov in a first-round contest. The rookie Wildcat pressed the Cowboy in the first set before dropping the frame 6-4. In the second, Nedovyesov rounded into form and clinched the match with a 6-1 decision. In the afternoon session, Quigley defeated Tennessee’s Davey Sandgren in three sets 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. Julian Bley of Baylor awaits Quigley in a back draw semifinal on Sunday.
In a first-round match, Wildcat sophomore Brad Cox took a tight first set from Tennessee’s Matt Brewer 7-6(5). But the Volunteer bounced back to take the second set 6-4 before rounding out the match with a 6-2 victory in the third. In the afternoon session, Cox got back on track defeating Doug Matthews of Xavier in straight sets 6-1, 7-5. The Wildcat joins Quigley in the back draw semifinals and serves against Volunteer Jeremy Tweedt.
The Fluitt field features players from several prominent tennis schools including Illinois, Tennessee and Xavier.
This year’s winner of the Fluitt receives a bigger reward than tournament ranking points and NCAA-level impact wins. The champion secures a spot in the 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters qualifying draw held next summer in Cincinnati.
UK sponsors the Invitational in memory of the late Charles Fluitt who was a victim of the 1996 ValuJet plane crash in south Florida. He was the father of former UK tennis star Marcus Fluitt. In addition to playing an annual tournament in his name, UK tennis honored its fallen friend by dedicating Court No. 4 of the Boone Varsity Tennis Center as Charles Fluitt Memorial Court.
Play begins Sunday at 8:30 a.m. followed by matches scheduled at 10:00 a.m. and concluding with the tournament final slated for 1:00 p.m.
For more information on the 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, visit Cincytennis.com.
Click on UKathletics.com the latest men’s tennis news and recaps of tournament action this weekend.
