Gators Men’s Tennis Set to Play at ITA Natioanls

Get ready for an epic showdown as the No. 16 Florida Gators head to the windy city to take on the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the 2023 ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The championship will take place at XS Tennis Village on Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

https://twitter.com/GatorsMTN/status/1626248037445308416?cxt=HHwWgMDUyan-y5EtAAAA

Status of the Programs

Florida and Kentucky will face each other for the 68th time in program history. The Gators have the edge in the series, but the Wildcats are undefeated this season and are looking to continue their winning streak.

Both teams have earned their spot in the tournament.  Florida took down USF and Mississippi State during ITA Kickoff Weekend, while Kentucky defeated Liberty and Notre Dame in Lexington. This is Florida’s 12th appearance in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The field consists of all the top 13 teams that were featured in the ITA’s Feb. 8 Team Rankings.

Tough Test for Gators

The Gators will have to be at their best to come out on top. Kentucky has five ranked singles players and is one of the three undefeated teams in the country. Florida will look to rely on the strength of their three ranked singles players and two ranked doubles pairs to secure the win.

The tournament is a single-elimination format. Each team plays one match per day with the championship match on Monday. Nevertheless, all teams are guaranteed to play at least three matches over the week, either in the main or consolation draw.

The Gators will be eager to bounce back after losing their last two matches against highly-ranked opponents. They will be counting on freshman Jonah Braswell to continue his impressive form. In the ITA Rankings, Braswell currently ranks at No. 48. This makes him the seventh highest ranked freshman in the country.

This is going to be an intense and exciting match-up between two top-ranked teams in the country. Catch all the action on Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Here is the bracket for the entirety of ITA Nationals.

https://twitter.com/ITA_Tennis/status/1625558373096644609