Marlee Zein finished off Jackie Carr in the fourth hour of Florida’s marathon match, clinching the decisive third set and the Gators’ first SEC victory on the road.
The No. 45 Florida Gators (5-5) defeated No. 43 Arkansas (7-7) in a dramatic 4-3 contest that saw three different lead changes throughout the match.
Florida started hot by securing the doubles point, but quickly faltered its lead in singles play before prevailing in the final two matches.
Dominance on the doubles court
Florida opened the season with sluggish doubles play. Losing the point in five of its first six matches, the Gators never seemed able to rely on attaining that opening point.
However, Florida had a major resurgence on the doubles court leading to victories in its past four matches, including today’s against the Razorbacks.
The returning duo of Victoria Emma and McCartney Kessler handled Arkansas’ Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice in a swift 6-3 victory, while the freshman tandem of Zein and Anastasia Kharitonova defeated the No. 79 pair of Miruna Tudor and Carr (6-3).
Newcomers shine in comeback-fashion
Florida quickly fell behind in singles play after dominant performances on Courts 1 and 2 from the Razorbacks’ Martina Zerulo and Rice.
Prompt victories over Kessler (6-2, 6-2) and Ida Jarlskog (6-2, 6-3) from Rice and Zerulo, respectively, put Arkansas on top at 2-1.
No. 52 Emma tied the contest at two apiece after controlling Kayra Rijkers in the second set en route to a 7-5, 6-0 victory.
Kharitonova fell in singles play for the first time in four matches losing to Alter 7-5, 6-3. Florida’s hopes of stealing a victory in Fayetteville, Arkansas, relied on newcomers Tsveta Dimitrova and Zein.
After dropping the first set to Tudor, Dimitrova battled back in a commanding 6-1 second set victory and completed the three-set comeback (4-6, 6-1, 7-5) to claim the third point for Florida.
Zein held an early first-set lead over Carr after a contested 7-6 finish, but stumbled in the second which forced a decisive third set for the team match. She held on and walked away with a clutch 7-6 third-set victory (7-6, 2-6, 7-6) and the Gators’ second conference win of the season.
"I'm really, really pleased with the way we closed things out tonight. We played with our legs and our heads tonight and didn't go for the big shots,” coach Roland Thornqvist said in a release. “It was great to see our sideline watch and cheer on the final courts. This was a really tough road match, and I'm proud of the resilience the team showed.”
Thornqvist’s 500th victory
Friday night’s win at the Billingsley Tennis Center marked Thornqvist’s 500th career victory. Already the winningest coach in program history, Thornqvist added another accolade to a resume that includes five SEC Coach of the Year honors and four National Championships.
"We have had the opportunity to coach so many great players who truly bleed orange and blue, and they are responsible for these victories,” Thornqvist said. “It's been a blessing to be around so many special teams and talented players over the years."
Follow Victor Prieto on Twitter @victorprieto_11 and contact him at vprieto@alligator.org.
UF women's tennis coach Roland Thornqvist picked up his 500th career victory with Friday night's 4-3 win over Arkansas.
