Florida Tennis Defeats FIU Punching Ticket to Sunday Championship
The Gators fought hard in their first contest of the weekend, defeating FIU 4-2. Florida’s win secures their spot in the championship matchup Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators welcomed FIU on day one of the ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. Florida made an early statement on their home court taking the doubles point and carrying the momentum into singles play to finish the day with a 4-2 victory.
Qavia Lopez/Malwina Rowinskia were the first to get it done, defeating FIU’s Katerina Madelikova/Salma Loudili 6-1. Sara Dahlstrom/ Rachel Gailis followed with a 6-3 victory over Valery Gynina/Kristyna Hranacova to secure the doubles point for the Gators with a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Finding wins in singles proved to be a tall task for the Gators after they were edged in four initial sets. However, Florida fought back and showed their ability to compete with Rachel Gailis and Sara Dahlstrom forcing third sets in both of their matches. Gailis ended up being the deciding match after Qavia Lopez and Alicia Dudeney walked away with sturdy victories. Gailis was up for the assignment, coming back to win the second set 6-4 over Valery Ginyna and close out 6-3 in the third.
Qavia Lopez picked up the first singles win for the Gators, defeating Salma Loudili 6-3, 6-3. Not far behind was Alicia Dudeney with a dominating 6-1 first set over Petja Drame. Drame rallied back in the second to challenge Dudeney in the final games, but it was Florida’s Alicia Dudeney who came out ahead with a 6-4 victory to finalize the match at 6-1, 6-4.
Falling short for the Gators in the Saturday’s contest was Emily de Oliveira and Carly Briggs. Both were met with fierce competitors and fought till the last point. De Oliveira was edged 6-3, 6-0 against Oyinlomo Quadre and Carly Briggs fell 6-2, 6-4 to Ekaterina Khairutdinova.
Singles: (Order of Finish: 1,5, 2, 6, 3,4)
1. Oyinlomo Quadre (FIU) def. Emily de Oliveira (UF) 6-3, 6-0
2. Ekaterina Khairutdinova (FIU) def. Carly Briggs<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/carly-briggs/16139> (UF) 6-2, 6-4
3. Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16143> (UF) def. Valery Ginyna (FIU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Qavia Lopez<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/qavia-lopez/16283> (UF) defs Alma Loudili (FIU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Alicia Dudeney<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/alicia-dudeney/16142> (UF) def. Petja Drame (FIU) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles: (Order of Finish: 1,2)
1. Malwina Rowinska<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/malwina-rowinska/16397>/Qavia Lopez<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/qavia-lopez/16283> (UF) def. Katerina Mandelikova/Salma Loudili (FIU) 6-1
2. Sara Dahlstrom<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/sara-dahlstrom/16140>/Rachel Gailis<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/rachel-gailis/16143> (UF) def. Valery Gynina/Kristyna Hranacova (FIU) 6-3
HEAD COACH ROLAND THORNQVIST SAYS:
UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist on FIU and the outcome:
“This is by far the best FIU team we’ve ever played. This is a really good team. I thought the tennis was at an extremely high level. So, I’m pleased with how we handled it.”
UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist on today’s doubles play:
“I thought we showed a lot of strength in doubles at two and three and we’ve always counted on our one team playing at a high level. We showed our teeth today in that we have really good two and three teams as well as our one, and that’s going to help all of us knowing that we can get points from all of our courts.”
UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist on losing the first four sets in singles and fighting back:
“We were able to slowly turn the tide and big credit to FIU on how they played at one and two, they were just really, really good. And then at three and four, you can tell we’re not only talented, but we’re experienced, and there was no panic. I liked what I saw out of our team, it just shows that we’ll be able to handle some of these tight matches and that’s what you need if you want to be a championship team.”
UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist on the message going into tomorrow:
“Today is now about resting, hydrating, eating right, and saving up energy for tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll play a team equally equipped to potentially damage us if we if we’re not ready. But I do think that coming through a match like today’s really sharpens your focus, so I’m looking forward to another big test tomorrow.”
NEXT UP:
The Gators will be back in action Sunday, Jan. 28 when they compete in the ITA Championship at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex at 2 p.m. ET. Their Sunday opponent is dependent on the 2 p.m. results of San Diego and Wake Forest.
#GoGators
