Florida’s strong singles showing in a 4-2 comeback win over Arkansas propelled it to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, reminding everyone just how dangerous the Gators can be. UF didn’t take time for a victory lap, staying hungry for more in a week of single elimination conference play. After losing to South Carolina 4-1 to end the regular season, Florida (14-11, 8-6 SEC) returned to Columbia to test its luck against No. 3 seed South Carolina in a Friday night contest, hoping to flip the script against the steamrolling Gamecocks.
South Carolina (18-6, 11-3 SEC) entered the tournament’s quarterfinals well-rested and with a three-match win streak under its belt. Riding high from its conquests over Tennessee, Georgia and Florida in the final three matches of the regular season, South Carolina met the latter in the quarterfinals with a surge of confidence, rhythm and the composure of a team that had proven its edge. Additionally, with South Carolina’s only home loss coming to No. 5 Virginia over three months prior, the Gamecocks proved to be a formidable force on their home courts, making matches a nightmare for any opposing visitor.
South Carolina did just that in Friday’s 4-1 victory over the Gators, jumping to an early lead in doubles before finishing the job in singles.
Merely six days prior, sophomores Adhithya Ganesan and Jeremy Jin made quick work of South Carolina freshman Atakan Karahan and sophomore Jelani Sarr on court two as they dominated in a 6-2 win. However, in Friday’s playoff match, the Gamecocks’ No. 50 pair pulled a 180, giving the Florida pair no time to answer in a 6-2 victory.
South Carolina quickly secured the doubles point with No. 12 Florida sophomore Henry Jefferson and junior Tanapatt Nirundorn’s loss to junior Lucas Andrade da Silva and graduate Connor Thomson, the No. 3 pair in the nation, on court one. Although the Gators pulled off a huge upset against the top-ranked pair 6-2 in their last match, the Gamecocks never gave them a chance in a 6-2 win of their own.
UF sophomore Kevin Edengren and freshman Ben Weintaub went unfinished amid a comeback effort against freshman Max Stenzer and sophomore Sean Daryabeigi on court three, tied 4-4.
South Carolina continued to dominate in singles play, winning five of its six first sets. USC added its second point of the evening with Nirundorn’s straight-set loss to Sarr on court five. Nirundorn fell behind early in set one and never caught up in a 6-2, 6-3 defeat that brought the match to 2-0.
Jefferson grabbed a much-needed straight-set win over Karahan on court four to give Florida its first point of the match. The sophomore forced a tiebreaker in set one and came out with a 7-6 victory before taking control in the second set with a 6-2 win.
Weintraub fell to USC freshman Gabe Avram on court six as South Carolina extended its lead to 3-1. Weintraub lost 6-4 in the first set and got off to a strong start in set two before Avram came surging back to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win.
With South Carolina one point from victory, Florida kicked it into high gear, forcing three third sets and turning a blowout into a nailbiter. However, Johnson fell just short in his match before Jin or Ganesan could win their third sets.
No. 124 Johnson lost the first set 7-6(5) thanks to a heartbreaking tiebreaker loss, but immediately came back to sweep No. 119 Daryabeigi 6-0 in set two. Johnson initially led the final set, but Daryabeigi would not be denied a second straight singles win over the Florida senior.
The Gamecock bulldozed his way to a 5-3 lead and Johnson couldn’t recover, falling 6-4 as Daryabeigi’s three-set win punched South Carolina a ticket to the SEC Tournament semifinals against the No. 2 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday.
No. 47 Ganesan was bested by No. 20 Thompson 6-4 in set one but found his rhythm in the second set with a convincing 6-2 win. From there, the match was abandoned in set three, with Ganesan one point from victory, leading 5-4.
No. 70 Jin lost 6-2 to da Silva in set one before locking in and winning the set two tiebreaker to force a third. With Jin looking to defeat the junior that bested him in straight sets last week, the match went unfinished, tied 4-4.
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.
