Stefan Correa went 5-0 in singles to win the Red Flight Championship and teamed with Gabriel Valdes to reach the Draw No. 4 doubles final for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at Florida’s Bedford Cup in Orlando. The result highlighted Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics men’s tennis in its first tournament of the fall season. The Eagles finished the tournament 14-11 in singles play and 3-4 in doubles play.
Correa reached the singles championship match after defeating Valdes in the Red Flight semifinals, 6-4, 4-6 (4), 10-4. Valdes finished 3-1 in singles and reached the Red Flight semifinals. Correa then defeated Roman Sancilio of Florida in the final, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Correa completes unbeaten singles run
Correa won his first three singles matches in straight sets against players from North Florida, Florida Atlantic and West Florida. His semifinal against Valdes was the closest match of his tournament. Correa secured the victory in the deciding tiebreaker to advance to the final.
Sancilio won the opening set of the championship match, but Correa answered with a 6-3 second-set victory. He completed the comeback with a 6-4 win in the third set to claim the Red Flight title. The championship gave Correa a perfect singles record at the tournament.
Eagles reach doubles final
Correa and Valdes reached the finals of Draw No. 4 in doubles. The pair received a bye in the opening round and advanced through a walkover in the semifinals. West Florida defeated the Florida Gulf Coast duo 6-3 in the final, leaving Correa and Valdes as the draw’s runners-up.
Jonathan Baron and Mika Bunjes defeated Florida State 6-3 in the first round of doubles. The pair could not compete in the semifinals because of an injury. Hugo Magnusson and Tanner Povey also won their opening-round doubles match, defeating North Florida 6-4.
Six other Eagles record singles wins
Six other Florida Gulf Coast Eagles recorded singles victories during the tournament. Hugo Magnusson defeated Andreas Timini of Florida in three sets, while Gustav Hasslegren, CJ Smith and Harry Michalowski recorded wins over North Florida. Jonathan Baron and Tanner Povey also earned singles victories over USF.
Valdes opened his tournament with wins over North Florida and Stetson before defeating UCF in a three-set quarterfinal match. He then faced Correa in the Red Flight semifinals. The Eagles’ 14 singles victories included contributions from across the lineup.
Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics men’s tennis returns Oct. 14
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles are scheduled to return to competition Oct. 14 at the ITA Southeast Regional in Atlanta. A berth in the ITA Sectional Championships will be on the line. The regional is the Eagles’ next scheduled competition after the Bedford Cup.
FSB Take
Correa’s 5-0 singles run gave Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics men’s tennis the Bedford Cup’s Red Flight champion. His partnership with Valdes also produced a doubles final appearance, while Valdes reached the singles semifinals and finished 3-1.
The Eagles’ 14-11 singles mark and 3-4 doubles mark reflected contributions beyond the tournament champion. Florida Gulf Coast now turns to the ITA Southeast Regional in Atlanta on Oct. 14, with a berth in the ITA Sectional Championships at stake.
Source: Original report