With two Southeastern Conference losses under their belt, the Gators decided enough was enough.
Florida (7-5, 1-2 SEC) established an early 3-1 lead, but as all four of the remaining singles matches went to a decisive third set, No. 41 Kentucky (8-5, 1-2 SEC) bounced back.
Despite being the only Gator to lose the first set, senior Lorenzo Claverie clutched both of his last sets to save Florida from a third consecutive loss, winning the dual match 4-3.
The Gators played with speed and decisiveness the entire match and slowly got back into rhythm.
The UF freshman-junior pair of Andreas Timini and Edengren won the first half of the doubles portion with ease, 6-3.
It was up to the No. 89 pairing of junior Henry Jefferson and Kevin Edengren to secure the doubles win. After some miscommunication and unforced errors, the Gators retained focus. The two 6-foot-five-plus Gator giants towered in the service box and slammed down returns.
As they matched each point to stay in the game, the Gator pair eventually ran out of juice and fell in a 7-6 (13-11) set loss.
Despite the defeat, Florida quickly turned the tide.
All but one of the Gators grabbed first-set victories with impressive performances and used the success to finish out the dual match.
Claverie outdueled No. 38 Jack Loutit and eventually took revenge for the doubles portion. He lasted long but fell 7-5 in the first set. From there, his game seemed to slowly fade as the night went on. His shots looked awkward, and the ball wasn't put into play. But as Jefferson and company cheered him on, he rebooted. He won the second set 7-6 (7-3). His third set ended it all.
Various Gators seemed to be fueled by different factors.
Jefferson, fueled by his narrow doubles defeat, applied the pressure and took his first singles set 7-5 against No. 94 freshman Nicolas Arseneault. He tracked down shots and placed precise attacks all around the court.
His play overwhelmed Arseneault so much so that he let his rage out on his racket at the end of the fifth game, smashing it and screaming uncontrollably. Jefferson called game shortly after with a 6-1 win.
No. 41 senior Pablo Perez Ramos upset No. 16 junior Eli Stephenson, 6-2, with his established presence up front by the net. He forced balls that called for runs from the baseline to the top of the service boxes in an unimaginable time.
Stephenson barely had a chance at returning them and Ramos capitalized on that imbalance. The Spaniard got the first point for Florida as his match ended 6-3.
Edengren followed his doubles success with a 6-3 first set. Freshman Mikael Arseneault matched him with the same score for the second. The Wildcat responded well to his returns, but Edengren prevailed, winning 6-4 in the third set.
Timini kept up with a 6-4 first-set win. In the second set, several of his returns didn't have enough power and couldn’t clear the net. He committed some unforced errors that prolonged the match in his opponent's favor. He lost his match, trailing 7-6 and 6-4.
At the beginning, No. 46 Australian junior Jeremy Jin showed out in his singles debut. He dominated senior Charlelie Cosnet 6-2 in the first set. As momentum shifted in the second, he lost 7-5. Even with his high-powered forehands, defeat met Jin in the third set 7-6 (7-4).
Narrowly escaping with the win, the Gators remain undefeated against Kentucky this season and grab their first SEC win of the season. Florida will look to carry this momentum in its next matchup against No. 22 South Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m. for its first home game of the SEC stretch.
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.)
