The Florida women’s tennis team dominated its season opener, defeating USF 7-0 on Tuesday at Linder Stadium.
Danielle Collins and Brianna Morgan played their first collegiate dual matches. Both players won their singles matches.
"Our freshmen did a good job," coach Roland Thornqvist said. "Maybe they didn’t play as well in the first set as I’ve seen in practice, but you can’t really expect that of them. The fact that they handled that and worked their way through it is even more impressive than if they just would have gone out there with no pressure."
Collins struggled in the first set of her singles match, allowing the Bulls’ Fanny Fracassi to win 5 games. But Collins broke through and caught Racassi at her weak spots.
"(During) the first set, I was kind of thrown off by my opponent’s game a little bit because she was a little bit unorthodox," Collins said. "She had some different shots. She used a lot of slice and different top spin balls and angles, so I was a little thrown off by that in the beginning. Definitely in a first match you don’t come across a lot of players like that."
Collins found her rhythm in the second set, shutting out Fracassi 6-0.
"When it got to 5-all in the first set and once I won the game 5-all and then at 6-5, I think that gave me a lot of confidence," Collins said.
"I knew that no matter how tight the match would get, I would be able to pull it out. I just told myself to be disciplined and try to focus on one point at a time, and not let her get into the set again like I did in the first."
Junior Sofie Oyen dominated USF’s Danielle Mills, winning 6-1 in the first set and 6-2 in the second. Oyen is the nation’s top-ranked singles player, and she showed why on Tuesday.
"I’m improving, getting stronger, and I’m just really proud of myself," Oyen said.
Senior Lauren Embree came out strong in both doubles and singles, earning her 99th career doubles win with an 8-4 score. Embree also earned her 98th career singles victory with a 6-1, 6-1 victory against the Bulls’ Loreto Alonso-Martinez.
Embree teamed up with Oyen in doubles, and the two earned Florida’s first point against USF.
"Lauren and Sofie were excellent," Thornqvist said. "They made pace. They not only matched it but topped it at times, and we were the more creative team."
Florida’s Olivia Janowicz and Caroline Hitimana also won their singles matches.
UF hosts UCF today at 3 p.m., and Thornqvist is looking to feature the freshmen in match play.
"I like that [Collins and Morgan] can buckle down when they have to because that is what’s coming in the next matches," Thornqvist said. "You’re going to have to face that beast at some point. And if we have the chance to do that, then that’s how we’ll win the real matches."
Freshman Danielle Collins returns a serve during UF’s 7-0 win against USF on Jan. 29 at Linder Stadium. Collins teamed with Olivia Janowicz to win the only doubles match for the Gators on Friday.
