University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
SEC Coaches' Indoor Championships
Smith Wins SEC Indoor Singles Championship
January 19, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 19, 2009
Tennessee sophomore John-Patrick Smith added to his already impressive resume Monday afternoon as he captured the singles championship at the SEC Coaches' Indoor Championships with a straight-set win over Florida's Carlos Cueto. Smith teamed up with Davey Sandgren to win the SEC indoor doubles title on Sunday which means that Tennessee captured both main events at this year's SEC indoors.
"The SEC indoors is a prestigious tournament and for J.P. to come in and win the singles is an incredible accomplishment," head coach Sam Winterbotham said. "I'm really proud of J.P., Davey and all the guys that came to Lexington. They represented UT in a first class manner.
"To win both the singles and doubles titles at a tournament that is as tough as this one is, is a phenomenal accomplishment for our tennis program."
In the finals, Smith took control early defeating the rookie Gator, 6-1 in the first set. In the second set, Smith was able to seize control and hold Cueto to win the match and the title, 6-1, 6-4. Cueto is ranked 88th but knocked off the nation's second-ranked netter, Michael Venus of LSU, in the semifinals to advance to the title match.
It is UT's first SEC indoor singles title since Peter Handoyo won the tournament in 2002.
Smith advanced to the finals with a straight-set win over Mississippi's Devin Britton, 6-2, 7-6(7).
"The SEC is one of the toughest conferences in the country," Smith said. "Since I've been at UT I've worked hard and I think the results are paying off.
"I'm excited to get into the dual-match season now and try to help our team win an SEC Championship."
Last season, Smith set the stage for his eventual SEC Freshman of the Year nod after he advanced to the semifinals of the SEC indoors with victories over three ranked opponents. This season, Smith went a combined 9-0 in singles and doubles on his way to titles in both events.
So far, in his UT career, Smith has been named All-America, first team All-SEC, SEC Freshman of the Year, Region III Rookie of the Year and advanced to the championship match of the NCAA singles tournament. He can now add SEC indoor singles and doubles champion to that list of accomplishments. The sophomore from Australia also sported a team-high 3.9 GPA in the fall semester.
UT begins the dual-match season Saturday when it hosts a doubleheader. The eighth-ranked Vols face 37th-ranked ETSU at 10:30 a.m. and then conclude the day against Tennessee Wesleyan at 4 p.m. All matches at the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center are free to the public. Live scoring can be found at UTsports.com.
| SMITH'S SEC INDOORS WEEKEND | |
| SINGLES | |
| FINALS | |
| 6 John-Patrick Smith, UT def. 8 Carlos Cueto, UF | 6-1, 6-4 |
| SEMIFINALS | |
| 6 John-Patrick Smith, UT def. 15 Devin Britton, UM | 6-2, 7-6(6) |
| QUARTERFINALS | |
| 6 John-Patrick Smith, UT def. 3 Jonas Berg, UM | 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 |
| THIRD ROUND | |
| 6 John-Patrick Smith, UT def. 14 Alex Lacroix, UF | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| SECOND ROUND | |
| 6 John-Patrick Smith, UT def. Brad Cox, UK | 6-2, 6-4 |
| DOUBLES | |
| FINALS | |
| 4 Davey Sandgren/John-Patrick Smith, UT def. 3 Neal Skupski/Michael Venus, LSU | 8-5 |
| SEMIFINALS | |
| 4 Davey Sandgren/John-Patrick Smith, UT def. Antoine Benneteau/Joseph Burkhardt, UF | 8-5 |
| QUARTERFINALS | |
| 4 Davey Sandgren/John-Patrick Smith, UT def. Drake Bernstein/Javier Garrapiz, UGA | 8-1 |
| SECOND ROUND | |
| 4 Davey Sandgren/John-Patrick Smith, UT def. Mark Bowtell/David Roberts, LSU | 8-1 |
