Gators Men’s Tennis Hosts SEC Rivals Georgia

No. 32 Florida Gators men’s tennis returns to Alfred A. Ring Tennis to face No. 26 Georgia Bulldogs at 5 p.m on Thursday.

Florida is entering the match 12-8 and 7-4 in conference play. The Gators last faced Mississippi State on the road, losing 5-2. Florida lost the doubles point and was only able to secure wins on two courts by Neils Villard and Kevin Edengren. However, the team has been very successful at home with an 8-1 record compared to away, 3-6.

“We just have to play together as a team,” Coach Adam Steinberg said. “Play true to our identity with better energy than anybody. That’s something we preach daily, and we’ve been a little bit inconsistent with that, especially on the road, but at home, where we’ve done a great job.”

The Bulldogs have a 14-7 overall record and are 7-3 in SEC play. Georgia’s last match was a 5-1 win against North Carolina A&T at their home courts.

ITA Rankings

The Gators have two players tapped into the singles rankings: No. 68 Jeremy Jin and No. 95 Adhithya Ganesan. There are also two Florida doubles pairs that are ranked: No. 23 Tanapatt Nirundorn and Henry Jefferson and No. 70 Nirundorn and Ganesan.

Georgia has three players ranked in singles: No. 27 Ryan Colby, No. 32 Thomas Paulsell, and No. 43 Miguel Perez Pena. Three doubles pairs are also ranked: No. 17 Paulsell and Colby, No. 47 Freddy Blaydes and Niels Ratiu, and No, 60 Oscar Pinto Sansano.

Rivalry History

In all of program history, Florida holds a 13-16 record against the Bulldogs. The last time the teams faced off was March 31, 2024. The Gators won 4-2 in Athens.

“Obviously, the Florida, Georgia match goes back in every sport,” coach said. “I know the team can’t be more excited to play this match, and they have a lot of respect for Georgia, as do I. Their perennial powerhouse in tennis, and the guys know that. “

Looking Ahead

The Gators have three matches remaining in the regular season. After the Bulldogs, the team will play Tennessee at home on Saturday followed by South Carolina April 12th in Columbia, South Carolina.

“We are trying to finish as high as we can in the Conference,” coach said. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”