Sophomore Gordon Watson showcased his skills Sunday when he defeated No. 55 ranked Tsvetan Mihov in three sets to clinch Florida’s 4-2 win against South Carolina at the Ring Tennis Complex on Sunday.
After falling to Texas A&M 2-4 in College Station, Texas, on Feb. 28, Florida looked forward to Sunday to tilt its 5-5 record above .500. Both the Gators and Gamecocks finished with a 7-5 record in Southeastern Conference play last season, leaving the teams in a tie for the third spot.
On the doubles court, Florida’s No. 9 duo of Elliot Orkin and Gordon Watson fell to Chip Cox and Tsvetan Mihov 8-5. Senior tandem Mike Alford and Florent Diep were defeated in a tough 8-6 decision by Andrew Adams and Kyle Koch, giving South Carolina the doubles point and a 1-0 lead.
But in singles, the Gators got off to a great start.
Diep was first to win for the Gators. He defeated Adams in a quick 6-1, 6-2 decision to tie the match at 1.
Diego Hidalgo gave Florida a 2-1 lead over South Carolina when he defeated Thiago Pinheiro in two sets, 6-4, 6-1.
USC began to rally back when Chip Cox defeated Mike Alford in straight sets, 4-6, 6-7, tying the match at 2.
But Orkin gave the Gators the advantage, defeating Andrew Schafer in three sets, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
“Orkin has been through a lot,” assistant coach Mark Merklein said in a release. “He wasn’t playing, and all of a sudden, he’s put into the SEC scene in a battle down there.”
Watson’s match was a roller coaster ride. After winning his first set 6-1 with ease against doubles opponent Mihov, he dropped his second set 6-4. With the match on the line, he found a second wind and won the final set 6-3.
Next up for Florida (6-5, 1-1 SEC) is a match against Tennessee on Friday at 5 p.m. in Gainesville.
“We look to build confidence and ingrain a certain identity into our team,” Merklein said. “We’re young and we’re, in my mind, trying to be the best team in the SEC.”
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Gordon Watson returns a ball during Florida’s 5-2 win against North Florida on Jan. 22 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
