For a moment, it looked like Bob van Overbeek would revert to the the form that led to him struggling in a 46-day drought without a victory.
But on Friday night, van Overbeek showed he is capable of fininishing strong and battling back from adversity.
The senior won his 3:34 match, leading No. 17 Florida (13-9, 6-5 Southeastern Conference) to a 4-3 upset over No. 8 Kentucky (19-9, 6-5 SEC).
Van Overbeek squeaked out a first-set victory over Kentucky’s Charles Minc. But in the second set, both held serve. The senior was up 5-4 in the frame, but he couldn’t close the match out, allowing Minc to force another tiebreak. But this time the Wildcat grabbed it.
In the third set, the senior faced the possibility of defeat. Down 3-1, van Overbeek needed a break. And that is what the Boca Raton native got. He evened the match up at 4-4 before pulling away. Up 5-4, 30-30, Minc hit one long after an exhausting rally, giving van Overbeek a 40-30 advantage for match point.
The senior forced Minc to hit one wide, giving the Gators the upset victory.
Van Overbeek has continued his hot streak after moving down to the No. 3 position, winning four of five for the Gators.
Although van Overbeek clinched the match, the most important win of the day was arguably the team’s doubles victory.
Florida has struggled in doubles all season, but junior Florent Diep and freshman Gordon Watson didn’t have losing on their minds.
The duo won their fourth consecutive doubles match after breaking a 7-7 tiebreak. They went ahead 8-7 then Watson held serve to put a point on the board for Florida.
The win comes at a pivotal point in the season for the Gators as the SEC Tournament begins Thursday.
Florida ends its regular season on Sunday when it hosts No. 13 Vanderbilt.
Gordon Watson hits a ball during Florida’s 7-0 win against St. John’s on Jan. 6, 2013. The junior won the singles event of the Gainesville ITA Circuits Draw on Monday.
