When Florida defeated Baylor on Sunday, there was plenty of praise to go around.
From a comeback win by Frank Carleton to the straight-set clincher by Florent Diep, the No. 8 Gators played hard-fought matches against a fellow top-10 team.
However, one of the most impressive victories of the afternoon came from Billy Federhofer, a junior from Miami who played sixth in the Gators’ singles rotation.
While his teammates played competitive matches, Federhofer dismantled his opponent, taking down Baylor’s Kike Grangeiro 6-0, 6-1. The victory gave Florida a 2-0 lead, confidence and momentum.
“For Billy to get off the court so quick, so impressively, took a lot of pressure off of the other guys and was a huge factor in the match,” Florida coach Andy Jackson said.
In last year’s match against the Bears, which the Gators won 5-2, Federhofer took the loss against Grangeiro. The Baylor senior beat Federhofer 1-6, 7-6 (3), 1-0 (10-7). Grangeiro, who was ranked as high as No. 88 last year, posed little challenge in this year’s match.
“That kid had a very good season for Baylor last year,” Jackson said. “All the matches could have gone either way except for the match at six.”
Jackson raved about Federhofer, noting that to get a win from the No. 6 spot was a major testament to the team’s depth.
“Michael Alford and Andrew Butz and Billy were guys that I considered playing at six,” he said.
“All three guys being in contention like that makes us feel pretty good about our depth.”
For the Gators, having Federhofer, Alford, and Butz available in that sixth slot will be crucial this season.
Alford, a sophomore from Tampa, has already claimed his first singles title of the spring, winning the consolation bracket at the SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. on Jan.15.
A Vero Beach native, Butz turned in an impressive fall season, going 12-4 including a win over New Mexico’s No. 81 Jadon Phillips.
Butz and Federhofer both also played doubles against Baylor. Butz paired with junior Bob van Overbeek to win their match 8-5. Federhofer and senior Nassim Slilam also dispatched their opponents 8-5.
The flexibility of eight viable options will be a major asset to the Gators with the season just beginning and the possibility of slumps and injuries always looming.
Looking to continue their strong start, Federhofer and the Gators will host the ITA Kick-Off event this weekend at Linder Stadium.
