The Gators must've really wanted their coach to shave.
All week, Florida women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist has been sporting a new beard.
Using his new beard as a form of motivation, Thornqvist promised something rather unique for the Gators: If they did well in doubles, the coach would remove the stubble from his face.
On Saturday, the No. 3 Gators (4-0) defeated Baylor (4-4) 4-0 at the Ring Tennis Complex behind four impressive showings, extending their winning streak to four straight matches.
“I thought we were really, really good in doubles, so finally I get to shave now,” Thornqvist said. “In gymnastics, if all our players score a 9.75 or higher on every event we would win a national championship. So I told my players if they score a 9.75 or higher in doubles I'll finally shave.”
The Gators jumped out to an early lead, dominating the Bears in doubles play.
The No. 22 duo of sophomore Anna Danilina and senior Brianna Morgan defeated Baylor’s Kiah Generetteand Gabriela Ferriera 6-0. The No. 16 tandem of Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan defeated Blair Shankle and Theresa Van Zyl 6-0.
“We were really sharp,” Thornqvist said. “From the get-go we made the majority of first serves, we made almost all of our returns, so subsequently we were able to win the first or second point in every doubles game.”
Singles proved no different for Florida, as it went on to swiftly clinch the match over Baylor.
No. 116 sophomore Josie Kuhlman took on Rhianna Newborn, quickly earning the 6-0, 6-1 victory to give UF a 2-0 lead.
No. 19 Austin would finish two minutes later, defeating Generette 6-1, 6-1 to give the Gators a 3-0 lead and only needing one more singles victory to clinch.
After a close first set where she managed to maintain control at the end and win 6-3, No. 73 Danilina would go on to win the second set 6-1, earning her first match-clinching victory as a Gator.
“I think we all just came out strong. I know we were playing clinch-clinch but for me I (thought), ‘I'm just going to finish the match,’” Kuhlman said. “I just went out there and played my game and played well today.”
The Gators won’t get much rest before they face Clemson (2-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Contact Jake Dreilinger at jdreilinger@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
Roland Thornqvist watches on as his team competes in singles during their win against South Florida on Jan. 27, 2016, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
