“GO GATORS!” echoed through the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex like a battle cry, setting the stage for an exhilarating showdown. The crowd leaned in, on the edge of their seats with anticipation building by the minute as they watched the ball volley back and forth. But in the end, it wasn’t even close. Florida dominated UNF, routing it 6-1.
Florida freshmen Rafael Segado and Ben Weintraub made short work of sixth year Bruno Vietri and freshman Jean Deloziere on court three to kick off the action in Saturday’s match. The pair of first-years never gave the Ospreys a chance, breezing by them 6-1 to give Florida an early advantage in doubles.
Sophomore Kevin Edengren and freshman Niels Villard bested sophomore Chase Healey and freshman Joao Portugal on court two, 6-3. Tied 2-2, the Florida pair jumped ahead by two games and didn’t budge, earning Florida a 1-0 lead with the doubles point
Sophomores Adhithya Ganesan and Henry Jefferson didn’t conclude their match with junior Andreas Scott and freshman Gianluca Filoramo, leading 5-4 on court one.
The Gators kept the energy coursing through the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex in singles, as Jefferson gave Florida a 2-0 lead through a commanding straight-set victory (6-1, 6-1) over Scott on court one.
Villard continued Florida’s dominance on court four, defeating Filoramo in straight sets (6-1, 6-4). After nearly sweeping the first set, the Gator took a 5-1 lead in set two before earning their third unanswered point of the afternoon.
Segado didn’t leave much room for Healey to give UNF any momentum as he defeated his opponent in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) on court five. With the freshman’s victory, Florida secured the meet win with a 4-0 lead.
The Gators didn’t stop there, however, as a court five straight-set-victory (6-2, 6-2) by Florida graduate student Bradley Paliska over UNF’s Vietri, extended Florida’s lead to 5-0.
Edengren battled Delozier into a super tie break on court two, ultimately winning 6-1, 6-7, 1-0 (10-3). Despite cruising to a 6-1 first set victory, Edengren dropped the set-two tiebreaker 10-8, forcing a 10-point tiebreak, which he won 10-3 to increase Florida’s lead to 6-0.
Florida freshman Francesco Cordova was UF’s only player that lost, falling to Portugal on court six in straight sets (7-6(7),6-2). Despite coming back from down 4-0 to force a tiebreaker in set one, Cordova couldn’t finish the job, falling 9-7 in the tiebreaker. From there, Portugal won the second set to give UNF its only point of the match.
Saturday’s 6-1 victory over UNF marks Florida’s sixth consecutive win over the Ospreys and their fourth home win of the season as they remain undefeated in Gainesville.
Prior to the match, coach Adam Steinberg noted that the team was excited to play back at home after its Texas road trip and has been “improving in every aspect”.
Florida will now face an SEC opponent in each of its matches this season as the Gators stay in Gainesville to host Auburn next weekend, Feb. 22 at noon.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.com 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.
