Florida did it again.
After defeating Kentucky 4-1 earlier in the regular season, the No. 6-seed Gators opened up the Southeastern Conference Tournament on a high note, topping the 11th-seeded Wildcats 4-2 on Thursday in College Station, Texas.
Florida (14-7) focused on earning one point at a time and making alterations from past matches.
The Gators did just that.
No. 51 pairing Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin opened play with a 6-3 win on the No. 1 doubles court before duo Diego Hidalgo and Gordon Watson clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win of their own on Court 2.
"All three (doubles) teams came out ready to play and they played really well," coach Bryan Shelton said in a release.
But after taking a 1-0 lead, Florida could have squandered it in singles action.
It didn’t.
"Here at the tournament that’s what you want to do," Shelton said. "You want to meet the challenges when they come and make adjustments that you need to make. I think we made enough adjustments today to get the job done."
Florida dropped its matches on the Nos. 1 and 2 courts in straight sets, with Hidalgo falling on the show court to Kentucky’s Jerry Lopez (6-4, 6-3) and Orkin falling 6-2, 6-2 to William Bushamuka.
But wins from freshman Chase Perez-Blanco, Lipman and Watson put Florida over the top.
Watson clinched the game point after a tie-break in both sets of the singles match on the No. 3 court (7-6, 7-6).
"It was one of those matches where we weren’t playing our very best but we were competing hard," Shelton said. "It wasn’t pretty in a lot of places but we were able to advance by getting the necessary points over a gritty Kentucky team."
The Gators continue action in the SEC tournament today at 10 a.m. against No. 3 seed Mississippi State in the quarterfinals, a team Florida beat 4-1 earlier this year.
"I’m looking forward to the match tomorrow against Mississippi State," Shelton said. "We know those guys well, so we are going to have to get some rest and be ready to go."
Notes: Florida is 45-14 all-time against Kentucky, including a perfect 6-0 mark in the SEC Tournament. … Perez-Blanco has a team-high 25 singles victories this season. … Lipman and Orkin’s doubles win was the second straight doubles victory against a ranked opponent.
Follow Caylee Underwood on Twitter @CayUnderwood
Gordon Watson serves during Florida's 9-3 win against William & Mary.
