Florida women’s tennis showed up and showed out, opening the 2026 season with a 6-1 win over Charleston Southern University.
The Gators traveled to South Carolina on Saturday afternoon and nearly swept through all seven matches on the Buccaneers’ home courts.
Doubles play proved to be the Gators’ strong suit, as they went undefeated with a 3-0 record.
Freshman Brooke Black and junior Valery Gynina set the stage, securing a 6-2 win in doubles. Added to the roster just two months ago, Black is already making a statement with her play in her collegiate debut.
On court three, the doubles team of Lucie Pawlak and Gabia Paskaukas went 6-2 against Charleston Southern’s freshman Amike Botha and senior Camila Molina Barranco. The Gator pair previously recorded a 3-0 win in their doubles debut at the Bedford Cup this past fall.
The momentum traveled through to court one, where senior Xinyi Nong and sophomore Nikola Daubnerova led Marina Skegro and Carlota Farres 5-2 before the doubles point was secured.
The Gators continued the winning streak in singles play.
Nong handed opponent Carle Botha a double bagel, quickly winning 6-0, 6-0. This is the second double-bagel victory in singles play of the senior’s collegiate career.
On court six, Daubnerova wrapped up a straight-sets win against Amike Botha. The Slovakian is off to a strong start in her sophomore season after posting a 7-3 singles record in the fall.
Meanwhile, Pawlak swept through her match against Molina, taking the win in two 6-1 sets to start her first spring season on the right foot.
Court one saw the talents of Gynia, who defeated Skegro in singles. Also, Paskaukas carried the team's win streak until the end, clinching a victory against Buccaneer Brenda Yoris.
Despite an impressive doubles debut, Black struggled in singles. The freshman saw it through to the third set, but ultimately fell to Farres in a tiebreaker.
The Gators’ spring season opener against Charleston Southern made one thing clear: the team is here to take big wins.
Florida gets back into action for the ITA Kickoff Weekend beginning Sunday, Jan. 25th, against Ole Miss in Raleigh, North Carolina. First serve is set for 4 p.m. EST.
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alamosofiaa.
