The No. 9 Gators women’s tennis team (1-0) headed into their opening match against Baylor University (0-1) Saturday afternoon with lofty expectations for the season ahead.
But from the moment the racquet touched the ball in the day's first doubles matches, the Gators were firing on all cylinders to result in a 6-1 Florida victory.
On the doubles front, the Gators took over court one early, with the pair of juniors Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee immediately breaking serve against Baylor juniors Sierra Berry and Brooke Thompson.
From there, it was excellence for the dynamic pair as they cruised to a 6-1 victory in only their third match together this year.
On court two, the competition was fierce as Florida’s No. 38 freshmen tandem of Qavia Lopez and Malwina Rowinska faced off against Bears graduate student Isabella Harvison and freshman Zuzanna Kubacha.
In a back and forth match, the crowd roared as Lopez and Rowinska narrowly pulled out a 7-5 victory that showcased the new Gator newcomers’ immense chemistry.
“I was happy to see how we responded, because we got pushed,” said Gators head coach Roland Thornqvist. “We flinched at some times when we had opportunities to close out but these are things we’re going to lose from.”
With the doubles point already secured, the Gators made it a sweep on court three when senior Sara Dahlstrom and sophomore Rachel Gailis bested Baylor’s sophomore Danielle Tuhten and senior Miska Kadleckova 6-6 with a 6-3 win in the tiebreaker.
“You know, I think this team can do better,” said Thornqvist. “We have to get better at shortening points on our serve. That… could be a big point for us.”
The Gators momentum carried into the singles round, when they continued to dominate.
On court six, Dudeney kept the heat going when she out Baylor’s freshman Zuzanna Frankowska in the first set. She then kept the pedal to the metal in the second set, ultimately scoring herself a 6-0, 6-2 victory.
Court three was another Gator victory, as No. 63 sophomore Rachel Gailis controlled the pace in a duel against Baylor graduate student Isabella Harvison. Gailis controlled the second set and claimed the 6-3, 6-1 win.
Dahlstrom secured the Gators win, when she stayed alive in a competitive matchup with Baylor sophomore Danielle Tuhten. Dahlstrom eventually prevailed in the back-and-forth contest 6-4, 6-4.
With the Gator victory confirmed, the remaining two matches on courts one and five went to third set tiebreakers.
On court one, No. 23 Florida junior Emily De Oliveira showed her grit and determination in a comeback and forced a third set against Baylor junior Sierra Berry. De Oliveira won the tiebreaker third set to finish off a 3-6, 6-4 victory.
Meanwhile on court five, freshman Qavia Lopez started out strong against Baylor freshman Zuzanna Kubacha with a first set win, but Kubacha stormed back to win the second set. However, in the final set tiebreaker, Lopez prevailed to give the Gators yet another singles win.
Baylor claimed a win on court two. Bears senior Miska Kadleckova shut down No. 38 Florida graduate student Emily Briggs, who failed to overcome a scoreless first set. Kadleckova ultimately prevailed 6-0, 6-3.
“In general, this is an excellent first match for us,” said Thornqvist. “This team has a chance to be special, and that’s why I’m kind of glad we got pushed.”
Florida is back in action next weekend at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex where they will face Florida International University at 11 a.m. as a part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Kickoff Weekend.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
