TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team returned to the state capital for the second time in three weeks to compete in the Bedford Cup. Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy) and Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla.) highlighted the day for the Eagles as they each advanced to the quarterfinals.

"I'm really proud of the guys today. We gritted out some great matches on the singles court; and we did pretty well in doubles too," said head coach CJ Weber. "I'm particularly fired up for Gug! He had such a tough grind of a match in his first round; and then with limited rest, he was just tough as nails in the second round in order to get another win. That's not easy to do after winning such a dramatic first match. Tomorrow is another day to learn some new things about ourselves."
 
Stefanacci picked up two wins on Friday beginning with a three-set triumph over Ervin Haris Eminefendic of Stetson. After dropping the first set, 4-6, he came back to win the second, 6-2, before clinching the match a 7-6 (6) win in the third set. He then followed that with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the No. 8 seed Erik Grevelius of USF)

Johnson, the #123 player in the country and #4 seed in the Bedford Cup, received a by into the second round where he defeated Maks Silagy of Florida State in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Max Damm (Bradenton, Fla.), Marcelo Sepulveda (Monterrey, Mexico), and Randy Wilson (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) all won their first-round matchups, but fell in the round of the 32.

The Eagles also had success on the doubles court as the 4^th-seeded pair of Johnson and Damm advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-7 (1) win over Yeray Andres and Javier Llinares of Troy. Sepulveda and Wilson also advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-5 win over Alvin Tudorica and Sam Frizelle of USF.

Friday Results
First Round
Guglielmo Stefanacci (FGCU) def. Ervin Haris Eminefendic (Stetson), 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6)
Max Damm (FGCU) def. Francisco Erramuspe (Troy), 6-0, 6-3
Marcelo Sepulveda (FGCU) def. John Bernard (FSU), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (2)
Javier Llinares (Troy) def. Eric Oncins (FGCU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-0
Randy Wilson (FGCU) def. Juan Jose Rodriguez (Stetson), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

Second Round
Guglielmo Stefanacci (FGCU) def. Erik Grevelius (USF), 6-3, 6-2
Lucas Olivier (Stetson) def. Max Damm (FGCU), 6-2, 6-2
#123 Magnus Johnson (FGCU) def. Maks Silagy (FSU), 6-3, 6-3
Davide Tortoro (USF) def. Marcelo Sepulveda (FGCU), 6-0, 6-0
Alvin Tudorica (USF) def. Randy Wilson (FGCU), 7-5, 6-0

Consolation Second Round
Finn Stodder (FAU) def. Eric Oncins (FGCU), 6-1, 6-2
 
Doubles
First Round
Ozzor/Eminefendic (Stetson) def. Oncins/Stefanacci (FGCU), 8-6
Johnson/Damm (FGCU) def. Andres/Llinares (Troy), 8-7 (1)
Sepulveda/Wilson (FGCU) def. Tudorica/Frizelle (USF), 8-5

For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MTen and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU men's tennis or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

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 12th year, Weber has compiled a 123-95 (.564) overall record and a 51-19 (.729) 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.  In 2022, Weber led the Eagles to another ASUN regular-season title while reaching #65 in the ITA rankings, the highest in program history.

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
#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 92 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 45 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 26 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative team GPA. 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.