The No. 29 Gators topped the No. 48 Commodores, 4-3, with late heroics from star freshmen.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gators Men’s Tennis fought to a 4-3 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in a Friday night matchup at the Ring Tennis Complex. The Gators improve to a 11-9 overall record and an even 5-5 record in SEC play.
How It Happened
The Gators got off to a hot start, with Florida’s No. 42 ranked tandem of Nate Bonetto and Aidan Kim taking down Vanderbilt’s duo of Klopper/Ross on court one, 6-0. Bonetto and Kim’s win on court one marked their fourth straight doubles set win, and the first 6-0 set in a doubles round for the Gators this dual season. The Gators would go on to take court three and the doubles point as Tanapatt Nirundorn and Kevin Edengren battled to a 6-4 victory.
The Gators could not maintain momentum as singles play commenced, dropping courts one and four, and falling behind 2-1 in the dual to open singles play.
Kim, the reigning SEC Freshman of the week, delivered his second-consecutive three-set comeback performance. After dropping his opening set 3-6 to Vanderbilt’s Joubert Klopper, Kim caught fire, delivering shutdown 6-2 and 6-0 sets to claim court 2. Kim’s performance brought the Gators back to a 2-2 draw in the dual.
Nirundorn delivered a quick 6-3 set to open his match with Michael Ross. Ross reclaimed momentum and battled to a 6-3 set of his own, tying court five, and sending their match to a third set. Nirundorn responded by jumping out to a 3-0 lead of set three and held the edge, taking the decisive set, 6-3.
Edengren took a 4-3 lead in his first set before he appeared to experience some discomfort in his lower half. The match went into a delay as he was tended to by training staff, and Edengren returned revitalized, finishing a 6-4 first set. Edengren took an early advantage in set two, before Vanderbilt’s Hugo Coquelin battled to a 5-4 lead. Despite the delays and Edengren’s fatigue, the Gator freshman went on a three-game tear to seal a 7-5 second set, his sixth straight-sets victory of the season, and the final fourth point for Florida.
From Head Coach Adam Steinberg
On the win…
“I mean that’s college tennis right there… There was some injuries going on, some cramping, just crazy things out there. Vanderbilt was making a million balls. They were really tough, and they took us right to the end. It was a good win, a really good win for us. Any win in the SEC is great, and they’re an up and coming team with a new, really good coach, and you can see how disciplined they play. For our guys to get back to .500 in the SEC, it’s a great place to be right now.
On the home crowd…
“They were here early, and it made a big difference. It was a great atmosphere from down here. Every time the guys looked up I think they were inspired. Playing on Friday night, here under the lights, is special and something that I really looked forward to as a coach, so I really appreciated the crowd, the support, it was awesome. I think that was the best crowd all year.
Next Up
The No. 29 Gators (11-9, 5-5 SEC) will travel to Fayetteville April 12 to take on the No. 41 Razorbacks (15-9, 2-6 SEC). The match will begin at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Results
Singles competition
1. Danil Panarin (VANDY-M) def. Jeremy Jin (UF) 7-5, 6-4
2. Aidan Kim (UF) def. Joubert Klopper (VANDY-M) 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
3. Nathan Cox (VANDY-M) def. Adhithya Ganesan (UF) 3-6, 6-3, 5-3, retired
4. Jeremie Casabon (VANDY-M) def. Nate Bonetto (UF) 6-4, 6-3
5. Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) def. Michael Ross (VANDY-M) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. Kevin Edengren (UF) def. Hugo Coquelin (VANDY-M) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Nate Bonetto/Aidan Kim (UF) def. Joubert Klopper/Michael Ross (VANDY-M) 6-0
2. Jeremie Casabon/Nathan Cox (VANDY-M) def. Adhithya Ganesan/Jeremy Jin (UF) 6-3
3. Tanapatt Nirundorn/Kevin Edengren (UF) def. Danil Panarin/Hugo Coquelin (VANDY-M) 6-4
Match Notes:
Vanderbilt 11-10; National ranking #48
Florida 11-9; National ranking #29
Order of Finish: Singles (4,1,2,5,6), Doubles (1,2,3)
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