On a cold Friday night, the Gators got hot but were eventually extinguished by a tough Florida State squad.
A majority of the Florida players committed numerous unforced errors that proved costly due to FSU’s relentless pressure.
Even though the Gators recently climbed into the ITA top 20 at No. 18, they were unable to find the rhythm to get back into the game. They ultimately fell to FSU (6-3) 4-3 for their first loss of the season.
Florida (3-1) relied on freshman Andreas Timini to extend their undefeated season, but he was bested 7-6 in the final set, losing the dual match.
“It was an extremely tough loss for us,” said Florida head coach Adam Steinberg. “When you’re serving for the match, there after coming back like we did, it's obviously extremely disappointing, especially this rivalry.”
Throughout the match, tensions rose as FSU players mocked the crowd and tried to create mind games for the Florida side.
As the Seminoles started the doubles matches strong, the three Florida coaches walked over to separate benches, picked up their players, and instilled confidence.
“Just stay with your teammates,” Steinberg said. “We’re always pushing to play as a team... we weren’t playing very well tonight, so in those moments, you just have to keep pushing.”
The Gators dialed up some impressive comebacks, but eventually lost the doubles point on a critical last battle.
Fans voiced their frustration over a questionable call on court one about whether the ball was returned in-play, which secured the FSU doubles win.
“It’s college tennis, it’s going to happen in any sport,” Steinberg said. “When we went into the singles, we let it go, and we were like ‘let's go now.’”
On court two, junior Adhithya Ganesan and senior Pablo Perez Ramos played textbook team doubles. Pablo provided powerful serves that FSU took some time to adjust to, and Ganesan capitalized with light-touch shots out of reach for the Noles.
They narrowly escaped defeat and earned the only doubles win 6-4.
Seminole freshman Oren Ezerzer and late transfer Gabor Hornung handed Timini and senior Lorenzo Claverie their first loss of the evening, 6-4.
Junior Henry Jefferson and senior Tanapatt Nirundorn of Florida played the long game and succumbed to their self-errors, ceding the last crucial doubles match 7-5 to lose the first point of the evening.
Despite back-to-back doubles match defeats, the Gators remained resilient.
Jefferson wanted it badly and was the first Gator to win his match, 6-3 and 6-2.
With the first point for UF scored, the crowd became electric, and Jefferson's teammates felt his effect.
Ganesan played valiantly, forcing a seventh-game first set, winning 7-6. With only three matches left, the Gators needed to win out. Ganesan brought the first clutch victory, 6-4.
It was now up to Ramos and Timini. They were both defeated 6-1 in their first sets. But with the pressure on their shoulders, they battled on.
“Pablo needed to mix his game or use his drop shot more,” Steinberg said. “He was making a lot of errors, and when he started to actually play the game of tennis, it got a lot better.”
Ramos marked the second clutch comeback victory, winning 6-4 and 6-1 in his third set.
Timini stayed determined and flipped the result with a 6-1 second-set victory.
“He started to play an adjustment deeper in the court and started to make the guy work,” Steinberg said.
The score was 3-2, and yet again, it fell to Timini.
The match was all tied up 3-3 as he duelled Hornung. With all eyes on him for a third time in just two weeks, he almost delivered, but with a failed deuce serve to win it, Hornung bested him in their tiebreaker set.
“The biggest thing they should take away is the fight back,” Steinberg said. “You can learn a lot when you’re not playing great, but you're still fighting.”
UF looks to bounce back and continue in-state play against No. 9 UCF on Sunday at 10 a.m. at the USTA National Campus.
Contact Ethan Feinberg at efeinberg@alligator.org. Follow him on X @thefeinline.
Ethan Feinberg is a senior sports journalism student and the Spring 2026 men’s tennis reporter. He has previously written stories and produced audio sessions for WRUF, covering high school football. Ethan enjoys watching and playing sports like football and basketball, working out, fishing, cooking, and having a good laugh with his friends and family. His favorite sports teams are the New England Patriots, Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, and the Miami Marlins. (Drake "Drake Maye" Maye is the GOAT.)
