The men’s tennis team will be back on the court in the ITA Saint Francis Health System Men’s All-American Championships pre-qualifying tournament this weekend in Tulsa, Okla.
Sophomores Elliot Orkin and Maxx Lipman are both ranked in the NCAA Division I singles rankings — Orkin No. 39 and Lipman No. 100.
Orkin’s second year on the team has already begun with tremendous success as of Monday. The Georgia native won the singles title at the Southeastern Conference Fall Classic after defeating teammate Diego Hidalgo in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7).
"Physically, he’s changed probably more than any guy on our team," coach Bryan Shelton said. "When you look at the boy that he was when he arrived and the man that he is now, he looks like two totally different people. ... He may not be the biggest guy in the world, but he’s the toughest little son of a gun you’ve ever seen."
With two tournaments already under its belt, Florida knows it still has room to improve as the Fall season progresses.
"It’s the first couple of weeks, so everything needs to be tightened up a little bit," junior Gordon Watson said.
The ITA All-Americans are one of three fall events in place for Division I players - ITA regionals and the ITA National Indoor Championships are the other two events. The ITA championship is one of the top tournaments Florida will compete in this fall. The qualifying events will be held Saturday, and the regional draw will be held Oct. 16-19.
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Gordon Watson returns a ball during Florida’s 5-2 win against North Florida on Jan. 22 at the Ring Tennis Complex.
