Florida looks to take a win on the road as they face Georgia in what will be Bulldogs Head Coach Manny Diaz’s final home dual match.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gators Men’s Tennis heads to Athens, Ga. this weekend for a Sunday matchup with the rival No. 34 Georgia Bulldogs in the Magill Tennis Complex at 1 p.m.
The No. 32 Gators enter this weekend’s match with an even 9-9 overall record and a 3-5 conference record.
Last Time Out
Florida is coming off of a 1-1 home weekend that featured a sweep of No. 56 Ole Miss on Friday and a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to No. 13 Mississippi State, the first home loss for the Gators of the 2024 dual season. Florida saw success from nearly every position in the lineup over the weekend, with Jeremy Jin, Aidan Kim, and Nate Bonetto dominating at the top of the lineup in the sweep of Ole Miss, and Tanapatt Nirundorn and Kevin Edengren posting strong performances on courts four and six against Mississippi State.
The Opponent
The Georgia Bulldogs Enter the weekend with a 10-10 record and are coming off of a 4-3 loss against South Carolina on Friday. The Bulldogs lead the Gators in the all-time series, 66-44. Georgia took the win in the two programs’ last matchup, 4-3 in Gainesville on March 26, 2023. The last time the Gators competed in Athens was for the 2022 SEC Tournament, when the Gators capped their perfect 13-0 run in SEC play with a win of the SEC Tournament Championship.
Georgia, like Florida holds a 3-5 record in conference play after their loss on Friday, with both tied for eighth place in the SEC.
This weekend, The Bulldogs will celebrate the career of Men’s Tennis Head Coach Manny Diaz. A celebration of his career was held on Friday following Georgia’s loss to the Gamecocks, and Sunday’s matchup with the Orange and Blue will be Diaz’s final home dual at the helm for the Bulldogs. Diaz is retiring after his 36th season as Head Coach of Georgia, and will retire as the winningest coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference.
In the Rankings
Florida
Team: No. 32
Singles: Jeremy Jin (No. 66)
Doubles: Tanapatt Nirundorn/Adhithya Ganesan (No. 57), Nate Bonetto/Aidan Kim (No. 67)
Georgia
Team: No. 34
Singles: Ryan Colby (No. 58), Thomas Paulsell (No. 61), Miguel Perez Pena (No. 81)
Doubles: None
***
Follow the Gators
X: @GatorsMTN
Instagram: @GatorsMTN
Facebook: @GatorsTN
