MACON, Ga. – The FGCU men's tennis team kicked off the fall tournament season with a successful weekend at the Gridiron Classic, hosted by Mercer. Seniors Felipe Ramirez and Marcelo Tebet, as well as sophomore Carter Bradford and freshman Guglielmo Stefanacci represented the Eagles.

"This was a great opening tournament for our season," head coach CJ Weber said. "The competition was tight and the level of play was high. As a team, I felt like we got off to a very strong start but the physicality of the tournament started to wear on us after the first day. We need to get into better shape and focus on our toughness. I am happy that Carter (Bradford) and Guglielmo (Stefanacci) got to see the competition and that Marcelo (Tebet) and Felipe (Ramirez) were able to get their feet wet with some matches. Now, it's time to get to work."

Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) had the strongest showing in singles play, as he made it to the semi-finals of Flight A. After three rounds of intense play, Ramirez was forced to retire to Kennesaw State's Bryan Triana, who eventually went on to become the champion.

Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Americano) won his first match of the weekend against FAU's Luis Labarta and cruised through to the Round of 16 before falling to Pierre-Louis Dodens of Clemson University. The loss to Dodens ended singles play for Tebet, as only those who lost their opening matches were sent to the consolation bracket.

Both newcomers Bradford (Wesley Chapel, Fla./George Mason) and Stefanacci (Prato, Italy/International School of Florence) battled in Flight B during their debuts for FGCU. Stefanacci earned a straight-set victory in his first match before being knocked out by Kennesaw State's Kevin Patel, who had earned a first-round bye. Bradford fell in a hard-fought 7-6, 7-5 match that pushed him into the consolation bracket, where he battled into three sets before falling to Enzo Bonfirm Silveira from Winthrop.

Stefanacci and Tebet earned a first-round bye in Flight A of doubles play. The duo picked up its first win after downing Troy's Antuna/Romero by a score of 6-2. The pair fell in the quarterfinals to FAU's Lambros/Robbins, who defeated the Eagles 6-2.

Ramirez and Bradford teamed up for doubles play and made it to the quarterfinals after posting two consecutive straight-set victories. The pair defeated duos from Winthrop and Clemson before being sidelined by an injury.

Up Next
FGCU will have a few weeks off before traveling to Tallahassee, Fla. to compete in the Bedford Cup from Oct. 11-13. The Eagles claimed two titles and the Sportsmanship Award at last year's event. Now-graduate Felipe Escobar was awarded the sportsmanship title after winning the consolation bracket. He and current assistant coach Mateo Ruiz won the top flight of doubles play.

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter & Instagram @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of the competition.

CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year CJ Weber, who has coached 32 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his seventh year, Weber has compiled a 93-77 (.547) overall record and a 38-18 (.672) record in ASUN play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever ASUN Championship and first-ever ASUN Regular Season title after a program-best 17 wins. In his third season, Weber led Jordi Vives to a No. 35 national ranking, a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament - the program's first appearance. The Eagles completed a perfect ASUN regular season in both 2015 and 2016, finishing with conference titles as well as a Coach of the Year honor for Weber. FGCU again won the 2017 ASUN Championship and made its second NCAA appearance. The Eagles returned to the mountaintop by claiming the 2019 regular season and tournament championships. Weber earned his third ASUN Coach of the Year honor and led the Green and Blue to their third trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--