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This past weekend, Florida traveled down to Lake Nona to compete in the Bedford Cup tournament at the United States Tennis Association National Campus. The Orange & Blue took on the rest of the Florida colleges and dominated by taking home two championships in sweeping fashion.
All Gators at the Bedford Cup!
🔸Tanapatt & Borys take home the doubles title
🔹Olek tops Magnus in an all-Florida singles final
🔸Magnus wins the Sportsmanship Award#GoGators pic.twitter.com/JRlZIS2RpI— Gators Men's Tennis (@GatorsMTN) September 25, 2023
Bring Out the Brooms
In doubles, the sophomore duo of Tanapatt Nirundorn and Borys Zgola went undefeated on the weekend by going 3-0, leading to the two Gators winning the title against North Florida on Sunday. The pair beat Breno Marques and Andreas Scott 6-4.
On the singles side of things, it was a Florida showdown in the men’s final. Sophomore Olek Orlikowski faced Naples Grad Student Magnus Johnson. Leading into the match, both Gators went 3-0 in their weekend stint. But, the Polish tennis player was able to come away with a 4-0 record and the singles championship after beating Johnson in two sets, 6-1, 6-0. In fact, Orlikowski looked unstoppable by not dropping a single set all weekend long.
Steinberg Tennis is Here
After finishing his nine-year tenure with the University of Michigan’s tennis team and signing on with Florida in June, the Adam Steinberg era has arrived. The head coach comes in after replacing Bryan Shelton, the father of Gainesville tennis superstar Ben Shelton.
Steinberg is now the 11th person to take the role of head coach for the men’s program. He has built an impressive resume by leading his teams to 21 NCAA Tournaments. As well, the Florida coach has a career coaching record of 582-287.
Following Florida’s 14-14 season last year, Gator Nation is expecting the former Michigan coach to lead the group back to championship pedigree. In 2021, the Orange & Blue were crowned NCAA National Champions.
What’s Next?
The team will head north to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American tournament. Pre-qualifying is set to begin on Sept. 30, with the main draw final on Oct. 8.
