Just last week, the Gators battled the Longhorns in a long, rain-delayed dual match where they were dominated, scoring just one point.
On Friday, Florida looked to avenge not only its regular-season loss to Texas but also its 2025 Quarterfinal SEC Tournament defeat to South Carolina. With a win, it would also derail the Longhorns’ hopes of repeating as SEC Champions.
But those hopes were cut short as No. 1 Texas (22-6, 12-2 SEC) delivered a powerful singles portion, taking down No. 19 Florida (16-13, 6-8 SEC) 4-2 on Friday at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
The dual match began with junior Kevin Edengren and freshman Andreas Timini avenging their doubles loss to Arkansas with a 6-4 win over Oliver Ojakaar and Sebastian Eriksson for the first half of the doubles point.
No. 9 junior Henry Jefferson and senior Tanapatt Nirundorn took the early lead with their 3-0 start. After Texas won three points, the Gators secured the doubles point with a 6-4 victory, snapping the Longhorns’ five-match doubles win streak.
The other Gator duo on court two faced an opposite start, as No. 24 Lucas Marionneau and Sebastian Gorzny advanced to a 3-1 lead. The Longhorns closed the set 6-4.
Florida was tested at the start of singles, when half the courts gave Texas an early lead in the first few games.
But two juniors disrupted that momentum, keeping Florida in the match. Jeremy Jin and Kevin Edengren delivered 6-4, 6-3 first sets as all four other Gators fell. The Swede brought Florida’s only other point with an identical set. Jin’s match was left unfinished as Texas closed out the game on court one.
No. 95 Ganesan was the closest to another first-set victory, taking a 4-2 lead over Gorzny, but was defeated 7-6, marking the Longhorn comeback. He later lost 6-1 to wrap up the Texas singles sweep.
From then on, seniors Lorenzo Claverie and Pablo Perez Ramos fell short in their singles matches. Ramos couldn’t claw back and fell 6-1, 6-0 on the final deuce point, and Claverie lost 6-2 in both.
Although he secured Thursday’s victory over Auburn just 24 hours ago, Jefferson was not able to keep the win streak alive as he was defeated in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3.
Despite the road to the SEC Championship being cut short, the Gators look to the NCAA Division I Tennis Tournament, which begins on May 1 at a to-be-determined time and location.
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.)
