It was a strong weekend for Florida tennis across the board. Junior Jeremy Jin made a run to the finals of the ITA Conference Masters and a trio of Gator women clinched NCAA Tournament berths.
With steady composure and dominant play, Jin worked his way through the courts to punch his ticket to the NCAA Singles Tournament. He opened with a straight-sets win over Saint Francis’ Kevin Titus Suresh, then followed with another quick victory over No. 65 Azuma Visaya.
In the quarterfinals, Jin kept his momentum rolling, knocking off No. 36 Emon van Loben Sals in two sets. The win over the UCLA player sealed his invitation to the NCAA Singles Tournament. He was slated to play No. 16 Edward Winter in the semifinals but automatically advanced when Winter withdrew. Now, Jin is set to play No. 15 Martin Borisiouk.
Meanwhile, Henry Jefferson came up just short of his own NCAA Singles Tournament bid. The junior fell short in three sets in the ITA Men’s South Sectional Championship round of 16.
In other action, women’s tennis had a weekend of breakthrough performances. The Gators dominated the courts at the ITA Women’s South Sectional Championship, turning heads with a series of upsets and deep runs.
Freshman Lucie Pawlak set the tone early, making headlines after upsetting the nation’s top-ranked player, Auburn’s DJ Bennett, in a three-set thriller.
Gabia Paskauskas and Xinyi Nong powered their way through the singles draw, while Nikola Daubernova and Nong formed a strong tandem in doubles play. Their strong performances capped a standout weekend for the Gators and secured NCAA Championship berths for all three.
Paskauskas earned her spot in the NCAA Singles Championships with a string of straight-set wins over several ranked opponents, closing with a 6-4, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals.
In doubles action, Nong and Daubernova proved to be equally as dominant, battling through a tough draw and sealing their NCAA Doubles Championship berth with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 win in the semifinals. Nong also powered her way into the NCAA Singles Championships, grinding out two hard-fought three-set victories.
Valery Gynina also added to Florida’s strong showing, shining in the consolation draw. After defeating Georgia’s Emma Dong, Gynina upset No. 19 Catherine Aulia, before topping Kentucky’s Zoe Hammond to reach the consolation final.
With those results, Paskauskas and Nong will represent the Gators in the NCAA Singles Championships, while Nong and Daubernova will compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships, set for Nov. 18-23.
