Gators men’s tennis opens season

The Florida Gators men’s tennis team opens the 2022 spring season Friday against the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the first match back for the reigning National Champions while TCU enters the match with a win over UTRGV Wednesday night.

What to Expect from the Gators

Florida is first all around entering the 2022 season. The Gators were picked first in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll Wednesday afternoon with 153 points and were also the unanimous No. 1 team entering this season after the ITA released its Division I poll Jan. 5.

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Over the fall season, the Gators dominated on all offenses. Florida racked up 68 singles wins as well as 23 doubles wins. In the spring, Ben Shelton and Sam Riffice will serve as a huge weapons for the Gators. Shelton, now a sophomore, clinched the National Championship for UF after securing a win over Baylor’s Charlie Broom. He and Riffice opened the fall season ranked 26th in doubles in the ITA Preseason National Rankings. Riffice entered his senior fall season with a No. 2 ranking in singles, and his skill set will prove vital for Florida in the spring.

What to Expect from the Horned Frogs

TCU fell to the fifth spot in the ITA Preseason Top-25 Coaches Poll. The Horned Frogs began the spring season off with a 6-1 victory over UTRGV Wednesday. TCU played with only five players in the match, but were able to win both doubles matches and all five singles courts. In the match, junior Luc Fomba recorded a 6-2, 6-0 win in singles while sophomore Jake Fearnley crushed his match with a 6-0, 6-1 win also in singles.

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These two top-5 teams begin play Friday at 7 p.m. inside Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.