Elliott Orkin ended Florida’s first home tournament of the fall unscathed.
The UF sophomore took the singles title at the Southeastern Conference Fall Classic on Monday after defeating teammate Diego Hidalgo in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7) at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Orkin did not drop a set throughout the tournament, going 5-0 during the four-day event and dropping just 22 games in his 10 sets.
Florida’s success as a team at the SEC Fall Classic was noticed from the start, with five Gators advancing through the first round.
UF went on to monopolize the singles bracket heading into Monday, with Florida’s Gordon Watson, Maxx Lipman, Hidalgo and Orkin holding all four spots in the semifinals.
Those four combined to drop just three sets heading into Monday.
"I’ve actually never had to play one of my teammates in a tournament before, but if we have to play each other that’s a good thing," Orkin said in a release Sunday. "It means we’re doing well and moving in the right direction as a team."
But Orkin was not the only Florida player to win a title.
UF freshman Jordan Belga, who fell to South Carolina’s Kyle Koch in the first round of main-draw singles play, won the consolation bracket on Sunday after defeating Vanderbilt’s Kris Yee 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 in the semifinals. Belga won the finals against Ole Miss’ Ricardo Jorge by default after the Rebels left the tournament early.
"I got more confidence from the other guys when they were starting to progress throughout the tournament," Belga said in a release. "They were really pushing the standard and I felt like I had to up my standard, so it really gave me a boost of confidence with the team and with my game as well."
Watson and Hidalgo clinched the doubles title after taking an 8-2 win against South Carolina’s Thomas Two other Florida duos — Orkin and Lipman as well as Josh Wardell and Oliver Landert — advanced to the quarterfinals of the doubles draw.
UF men's tennis coach Bryan Shelton walks on the Ring Tennis Complex courts prior to Florida's 5-2 win against North Florida on Jan. 22
