Florida’s men’s tennis team kicked off its spring season by securing a 6-1 win at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex on Monday at 11 a.m.
Ranked No. 24 nationally, the Gators took on No. 66 Georgia Southern as play was moved inside the Perry Indoor Facility due to weather conditions.
Doubles Play
Florida came out hot on a forty degree day in Gainesville. In doubles, UF sophomore Jeremy Jin and freshman Kevin Edengren won four straight games, storming to a victory over Georgia Southern junior Matthew Mitchell and junior Pierre Mouesca, 6-2.
Meanwhile, UF sophomore Adhithya Ganesan and senior JanMagnus Johnson were unable to guarantee the Gators a point, as they lost three straight games to Georgia Southern senior Laurent Julia Calac and junior Aaron James Williams The Eagles duo went on to secure a 6-3 match victory.With the doubles matches split 1-1, the deciding point fell on the third and final doubles showdown between the Gators and the Eagles.
UF sophomore Henry Jefferson and junior Tanapatt Nirundorn found themselves in an intense battle with Georgia Southern senior Pol del Castillo and senior Dimitris Paliouras on court one.
The doubles pairing traded games as they went point for point. However, with the match tied 5-5, the Gator duo broke its opponents as Paliouras double faulted to give the Gators their sixth game-winning point. From there, the Gators had the serve and took the win, 7-5.
Thanks to the quick win by Jin and Edengren and clutch victory by Jefferson and Nirundorn, the Gators entered singles play leading 1-0.
Near-Perfect Singles Play
Jefferson grabbed Florida’s second point of the contest in his singles match against Mouesca on court three.
The 6-foot-6-inch sophomore cruised to a 6-2 victory in set one. Mouesca was able to win more of his serves in the second set, but was ultimately broken in the ninth game, allowing Jefferson to take set two 6-4 and win the match.
On court one, Ganesan won Florida’s second singles point in a hard fought match against Paliouras to give the Gators a 3-0 lead.
Facing a 6-6 tie after 12 games, neither player budged as Ganesan and Paliouras took set one to a tiebreaker. The former won the tiebreaker 7-2, as he gained the momentum he needed to finish the job. Ganesan ultimately won the second set as well, 6-3.
JanMagnus Johnson took court two against Georgia Southern’s Aaron James Williams and found himself in trouble early. Despite taking a 2-0 lead in set one, Johnson lost the first set 6-4. Fighting to stay alive, the senior from Cape Coral impressed in set two, winning 6-3. However, the Florida native ran out of gas by the third set, as Williams trounced him 0-6, winning the Eagles their first and only point of the day.
The Gators continued to dominate on courts 4-6 as they picked up three more points in singles play.
Nirundorn defeated Castillo in straight sets on court four, as he broke the Spaniard once in each set. The junior’s 6-4, 6-4 victory gave Florida a 4-1 lead.
On courts five and six, UF freshmen Kevin Edengren and Ben Weintraub continued the domination for the Gators. Edengren defeated the Eagles' Calac 6-3, 6-2, while Weintraub handedly won his bout 6-3, 6-0.
Florida coach Adam Steinberg noted that playing well and getting through the jitters most players go through is great, but especially for his freshmen.
“We have some guys that that was their first college win, and that always is important and very meaningful,” Steinberg said.
“I love coaching this team, so it’s always fun seeing them be successful,” Steinberg said.
Florida will now have its sights set on New York for Saturday’s ITA Kick-Off Weekend to compete with the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Contact Curan Ahern and follow him on X at @CuranAhern
Curan is the men's tennis beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. He enjoys spending his free time with pets, at the beach and fishing.
