The No. 9 Florida men’s tennis team lost to No. 5 Texas A&M 6-1 in College Station on Friday.
UF’s struggles began right away in doubles play.
On Court 1, the No. 5-ranked doubles team of junior Alfredo Perez and sophomore Johannes Ingildsen continued its slump. The duo lost 6-3 to Texas A&M’s No. 13-ranked pair of freshman Juan Carlos Aguilar and senior Jordi Arconada to push its losing streak in doubles to four matches.
On Court 2, Florida lost the doubles point for the second straight match after freshman Duarte Vale and junior McClain Kessler dropped their set 6-4. The duo held a 4-1 lead but gave away the next five points in the deflating loss.
In singles, struggles turned to disasters.
Senior Chase Perez-Blanco lost for the second time in his last three matches after Texas A&M sophomore Valentin Vacherot dominated him in straight sets on Court 4 to win 6-1, 6-2.
On Court 1, Ingildsen also fell in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to Aggies’ No. 12-ranked freshman Patrick Kypson. This was the sophomore’s third loss in a row.
Ingildsen has also failed to win a single set since March 25 against Arkansas.
Vale, who won two critical matches last week, came back down to Earth after he struggled mightily against the Aggies’ Aguilar, losing 6-0, 6-4 on Court 5 to clinch the contest for Texas A&M.
The remaining matches on courts 2, 3 and 6 all went into tiebreakers in the third set.
Freshman Oliver Crawford’s 12-match winning streak came to an end after he fell to No. 10 Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 on Court 2. This was also the freshman’s first singles loss to an SEC opponent this season.
"We were in a position early in doubles,” coach Bryan Shelton said in a release, “but we were unable to sustain it, and Texas A&M capitalized and seized the momentum.”
Freshman Andy Andrade was the lone Gator to win his singles match after he won 6-3, 4-6, 10-7. After being absent from the lineup in the last two matches, the freshman may have earned a more prominent role as the team enters the postseason.
“We played better in spots today, but Texas A&M outplayed us overall,” Shelton said. “We need to reset and get ready for LSU on Sunday."
This defeat was the first time the Gators have lost in back-to-back matches this season. UF also remains winless when playing in College Station against the Aggies.
Florida will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sunday to take on LSU. First serves are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Follow Dylan Rudolph on Twitter @dyrudolph and contact him at drudolph@alligator.org.
Freshman Andy Andrade accounted for the only point Florida could muster against No. 5 Texas A&M in Friday night's matchup.
