Rain delayed the first day of the SEC Fall Classic and forced play indoors during the early afternoon, but the weather did anything but dampen Florida’s performance.
Five Gators advanced to the Round of 16 in singles, led by strong performances from Elliott Orkin and Gordon Watson.
And in doubles, three out of four Florida pairings made the quarterfinals, an impressive feat in a stacked SEC field.
Watson, one of the team captains, was one of those forced to play his singles match indoors – which was much hotter than the outside courts – but after overcoming a slow start, he was able to easily defeat Vanderbilt opponent Tate Allwardt 7-6, 6-2.
“It felt good.” Watson said. “Conditioning felt really good, serve, forehand, backhand – still need to work on a couple things, but for a first match, I’m pretty happy with my performance.”
He also said he thought playing inside may have actually given him a slight advantage because of the team’s experience conditioning inside every day.
After Watson’s singles match ended, he and some of his fellow Gator teammates gathered around to watch the last Florida singles match of the day – and possibly the most exciting.
After losing the first set 2-6 against Frankie Colunga from Texas A&M, Florida freshman Chase Perez-Blanco managed to rally to win the second set 6-2, tying the match. Due to time restraints from the rain delay, a tie-breaker was played instead of a third set, adding to the drama. Teammates from both teams watched and cheered as both players battled, but Perez-Blanco emerged victorious, winning the tiebreak 10-5.
“I thought I played well in the first, I was just playing into the guy’s game,” Perez-Blanco said, “and he wasn’t missing much. But after I lost that set, second set I made some changes – a lot of changes.”
“I was just telling myself to keep fighting, just keep fighting and find a way to get back into the match – and it worked.”
The other UF players to advance in singles included Maxx Lipman, Diego Hidalgo, and Orkin, who won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles play went into the night because of the delay, with the Gator pairings of Watson and Hidalgo, Orkin and Lipman, and Josh Wardell and Oliver Landert advancing. Taking up almost half the remaining field, Florida’s doubles title chances look strong.
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @graham_hack24
Gordon Watson returns a ball during Florida’s 5-2 win against North Florida on Jan. 22 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
