No. 9 Florida Men’s Tennis Falls to No. 1 Texas in SEC Quarterfinals

The No. 9 seed Florida men’s tennis team was knocked out of the SEC tournament in College Station by No. 1 seed Texas on Thursday. The Gators (16-13, 6-8 SEC) took the doubles point to grab an early lead, but the Longhorns (23-6, 12-2 SEC) overwhelmed them in singles to secure a spot in the semifinals.

The Gators fell behind early in doubles. Their court two duo, Adhithya Ganesan and Pablo Perez Ramos, lost to No. 24 Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau, 6-4.

However, Texas did not get the final win needed to secure the doubles point. Florida’s court three pairing, Andreas Timini and Kevin Edengren, defeated No. 40 Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Ojakaar, 6-4, to even the competition.

Florida’s court one duo, No. 9 Henry Jefferson and Tanapatt Nirundorn, delivered the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Kalin Ivanovski and Abel Forger.

Despite taking the crucial doubles point, the Gators were outplayed by Texas in singles. The Longhorns quickly grabbed the first two singles points, as No. 93 Forger defeated No. 63 Jefferson and Ojakaar beat No. 62 Perez Ramos in straight sets.

Edengren earned a win over Marionneau to briefly tie the match, but Texas responded. No. 34 Kalin Ivanovski defeated Lorenzo Claverie, 6-2, 6-2.

No. 3 Gorzny then defeated No. 95 Ganesan to clinch the match. The first set went to a tiebreak, which Gorzny won 7-3, before closing it out with a 6-1 second set.

The Gators now await the NCAA tournament selection show on April 27, when they will learn their opening-round destination.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Tennis