Florida looks to recoup from difficult 0-4 stretch of conference road matches with a return to Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, where they are undefeated in the 2024 dual season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gators Men’s Tennis is back in Gainesville this weekend for two conference matchups, returning to Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex for SEC play for the first time since March 3. No. 33 Florida will face No. 51 Ole Miss at 5pm on Friday, before taking on No. 19 Mississippi State at noon on Sunday.
The Gators return to Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, where they are 8-0 in the 2024 dual season. Florida opened SEC play with a two-match slate in the Ring, which resulted in two upset victories over then-No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 25 Louisiana State to start conference play, and catapulted themselves up 25 spots in ITA’s rankings the following week. The Orange and Blue most recently collected wins in the Ring, taking two victories in a double-header with Tennessee State.
Last Time Out
Florida is coming off of a second-straight 0-2 weekend in SEC play after facing now-No. 21 Auburn and No. 28 Alabama. The Gators showed promise in both matches, claiming the doubles point in hard fought 6-4 and 7-5 sets on courts two and three against Auburn, and seeing singles wins by freshmen Aidan Kim and Jeremy Jin atop Florida’s lineup against Alabama.
The Opponents
No. 51 Ole Miss holds a 2-3 record in conference play, and arrives in Gainesville fresh off of a 1-1 weekend in Oxford, Miss. with a win over No. 48 Arkansas on Friday, and a loss to No. 56 Vanderbilt on Sunday. The Gators hold a 44-22 advantage in the all-time series over the Rebels, with the Gators taking the win in each of the last nine matchups, dating back to March 20, 2016. The Gators have won each of the last five matchups with the Rebels in Gainesville, with the Gators winning every home contest against Ole Miss since April 6, 2014.
No. 19 Mississippi State is currently 3-2 in SEC play, and is coming off of a 1-1 home weekend in Starkville, Miss. with a win against No. 56 Vanderbilt on Friday, and a loss to No. 5 Kentucky on Sunday. Florida holds a 44-21 lead over the Bulldogs in the all-time series, with their most recent matchup resulting in a 5-2 Mississippi State win in Starkville on March 2, 2023, a loss that snapped a five-match win streak for the Gators over Mississippi State.
In the Rankings
Florida
Team: No. 33
Singles: Jeremy Jin (No. 66)
Doubles: Tanapatt Nirundorn/Adhithya Ganesan (No. 57), Nate Bonetto/Aidan Kim (No. 67)
Ole Miss
Team: No. 51
Singles: Nikola Slavic (No. 62)
Doubles: Lukas Engelhardt/Nikola Slavic (No. 65)
Mississippi State
Team: No. 19
Singles: Petar Jovanovic (No. 39), Nemanja Malesevic (No. 118)
Doubles: Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (No. 37)
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