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The 19th-ranked Florida Gators men’s tennis team opens SEC play this week in a rematch against Mississippi State and a matchup with LSU.
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The Matchup with Mississippi State
The Gators stand at 5-5 and are looking to defeat the 18th-ranked Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi. Action began at 4 p.m.
The matchup with Mississippi State marks the third SEC matchup the Gators have competed in this season, where they went 1-1. The Gators went 12-0 in conference play last season.
The last time the two teams met, Florida won 4-2 in Gainesville. The Gators came out on top in doubles, but it was heavily contested. The win advanced them to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago where they went 1-2.
The Bulldogs are ranked 18th and are 11-1 on the season. They have won six games in a row. Florida owns the all-time series, 44-20, and has won the last five matches against the Bulldogs.
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Playing LSU
Following the SEC opener with Mississippi State, the Gators travel to Baton Rouge to face the 34th-ranked LSU Tigers. The Tigers are 8-1 on the season and faced Texas A&M to open SEC play. The matchup between Florida and LSU will be Saturday at 1 p.m.
The last time the two teams faced each other was in 2022 when they faced off in the SEC Tournament. Florida won the match 4-1 on their way to winning the entire tournament.
LSU is on an eight-game winning streak this season but has lost their last ten against the Gators.
Gators in the Rankings
The Gators start SEC play ranked 19th and have a handful of players ranked. Florida is the only team in the Southeastern Conference with four ranked singles players and two ranked doubles pairs.
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In doubles, the pairing of Will Grant and Axel Nefve ranks 31st while the duo of Tanapatt Nirundorn and Togan Tokac ranks 34th.
In singles:
- Will Grant 73rd
- Jonah Braswell 79th
- Nate Bonetto 83rd
- Axel Nefve 109th
