With the No. 7 Florida men’s tennis team in danger of losing its first match of the season Sunday at No. 27 FSU, the Gators got a lift from an unsung hero.
After losing the doubles point and trading singles wins with the Seminoles (5-3), the match was tied 3-3 as junior Nassim Slilam battled FSU’s Blake Davis on Court 4.
With the team result in his hands, Slilam’s superior strength and conditioning proved to be the difference. He posted a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory while Davis struggled with cramps late in the match.
Slilam’s heroics propelled Florida to a 6-0 record for the second time under coach Andy Jackson and gave the Gators a gutsy 4-3 win at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center in Tallahassee.
“I’m proud of Nassim. He worked very hard to prepare for this spring,” Jackson said. “He made his guy tired, and across the board we all fought hard today.”
Slilam, who often gets overshadowed by his doubles partner, senior Alexandre Lacroix, has yet to lose a singles match this year.
However, it was a day of many firsts for the Gators.
Things started on the wrong foot as Slilam and Lacroix failed to clinch the doubles point, falling 8-5 on Court 1. It was the first time Florida didn’t claim the doubles point in the dual match season.
“To be a good team, sometimes you have to be able to win without getting the doubles point,” Jackson said.
Lacroix, ranked No. 4 in singles, was upset by No. 42 Vahid Mirzadeh in three sets, while No. 52 Bob van Overbeek, riding an 11-game win streak, moved up to Court 2 and lost in three sets to No. 37 Clint Bowles.
“It was difficult for Alex. He might have gotten a little too caught up in getting the point for the team,” Jackson said. “He almost wanted to win too much.”
The Gators overcame those losses as sophomore Sekou Bangoura Jr. and Spencer Newman both posted straight-sets wins. Billy Federhofer won in three sets to set up Slilam’s match-clinching victory.
“We took FSU’s best shot,” Jackson said, “and I’m very pleased to get through it with a victory.”
The Gators also swept in-state rival Central Florida on Friday.
