Florida men’s tennis defeats Georgia in Thursday thriller

Florida (13-8, 8-4 SEC) was not happy having its four-game conference win streak ended by Mississippi State on Saturday. The Gators returned home to Gainesville with a vengeance to host another Bulldog team, the No. 26 Georgia Bulldogs (14-8, 7-4 SEC).

UF entered a sweltering contest against another ranked SEC opponent with energy and emotional fortitude, ready to return the favor and squander a powerhouse’s four-game win streak. Despite Georgia’s momentum from a four-game win streak entering Thursday’s match, Florida’s relentless cheers and perseverance earned it a 4-3 victory, stunning the Bulldogs.

Senior Miguel Perez Pena and freshman Gabriele Vulpitta broke Florida sophomore Kevin Edengren and freshman Ben Weintraub in game one, and the Gators couldn’t overcome an early deficit on court three. Their 6-2 loss quickly gave Georgia an early advantage in doubles.

Georgia seniors Thomas Paulsell and Ryan Colby are currently ranked No. 17 in the ITA’s rankings and didn’t disappoint against No. 70 sophomores Adhithya Ganesan and Jeremy Jin. Although the Gators kept the Bulldogs at bay, the 17th-ranked pair broke Ganesan and Jin in the twelfth game to win 7-5 and secure Georgia the doubles point.

The No. 23 pair of Florida junior Tanapatt Nirundorn and sophomore Henry Jefferson went unfinished with sophomore Niels Ratiu and senior Oscar Pinto Sansano, tied 6-6 in a back-and-forth match on court two.

In singles, Georgia kept its foot on the gas while its benched players kept the noise up, all while the temperature continued to sink. The scattered large trees to the west of the tennis complex cast a relieving shadow, perfect for tennis, as two seemingly evenly-matched teams won three first sets each and eventually left the match in the hands of two freshmen battling it out on court six.

No. 68 Jin faced a tall order in being matched up against No. 27 Colby on court two. Colby just barely edged out Jin 7-5 in a long set one, and the Gator was out of it from there. A struggle ensued for every point, but Jin was ultimately exhausted, and the Bulldog pulled out a 6-2 win to put Georgia ahead 2-0.

Florida senior JanMagnus Johnson showed some life for the Gators against No. 32 Paulsell on court three. Johnson took the first set 6-4 before holding on for an impressive 6-2 victory in set two over his ranked opponent to cut Georgia’s lead in half, 2-1.

No. 95 Ganesan overcame No. 43 Perez Pena on court one thanks to a fantastic comeback effort. The sophomore had no problem winning set one 6-2, but trailed 5-2 in the second set. However, Ganesan battled back to 5-5 before winning 7-6(3) to win in straight sets and tie the match 2-2.

Edengren gave the Gators their first lead of the match with a straight-set victory against Pinto Sansano on court four. Edengren was moved up to court four for the first time this season and didn’t disappoint, as his 6-4, 6-4 victory earned Florida a 3-2 advantage.

Jefferson found himself in trouble against Ratiu on court two, trailing 4-1. The Gator quickly lost set one 6-2, but refused to go down in straight sets again, having lost four of six singles matches prior to Thursday. Jefferson came surging back with a 6-4 set-two win in hopes of finding his footing, but Ratiu shut him down in the third set. The Bulldog eventually took a 6-3 win in set three to tie the match 3-3 and leave the final point in the hands of court six’s third set.

Florida freshman Niels Villard initially struggled on court six against Vulpitta and was swept in the first set 6-0. However, Villard showcased remarkable heart in taking set two. Down 5-3, Villard battled back to a 7-5 win in the second set, firing up Steinberg and the Florida crowd.

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From there, the clouds burst into various shades of pink and orange as the clock struck 8:00 p.m. and the match wound to a close with two SEC schools vying for a grueling mid-week conference win.

Vulpitta broke Niels early on to take a 3-2 lead, but it didn’t phase the Florida freshman, who came charging back with two breaks of his own to win three-straight games and take a 5-3 lead. Vulpitta broke back to bring the match to 5-4, but to no avail. Villard stole the tenth game off of the Bulldog’s serve, to win 6-4 and clinch a remarkable 4-3 comeback victory for Florida.

Following the match, Villard was showered in praise by his teammates for his incredulous comeback victory and noted that it took a lot of focus to overcome his tough opponent and uncharacteristic bad start.

After the first set sweep, Villard began to play much more aggressively, consistently working to position himself closer to the net and looking for weaknesses to exploit. Fitness also played a crucial role in Villard’s victory as Vulpitta began to tire by the time set three rolled around, and the Gator stood his ground.

“I’m fighting, like every ball I try to find the way [to win],” Viillard said. “I was very more aggressive, I tried to go more on the net, to stay more close to the baseline.”

Additionally, Florida assistant coach Max Koller had all the faith that the mental toughness of his team would propel them to victory against a tough Bulldog squad.

“We knew coming in that we had the group to beat them, we’ve been working hard. And, man, it means a lot at the University of Florida every time you take down the Dawgs,” said Koller. “We promote these guys playing together, we promote these guys playing with intensity, with a lot of heart, a lot of passion for the university, and that came out tonight.”

Up next, Florida will look to carry its momentum into Saturday as it hosts another SEC juggernaut, No. 18 Tennessee, at noon.

Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.com and follow him on X at @CuranAhern

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