Eighteen matches ago, Florida started its Southeastern Conference play against Auburn and quickly fell in doubles play. That same momentum carried over into singles action, leading to a 6-1 UF defeat.
Fifty-four days later, No. 19 Florida (15-12, 6-8 SEC) had a chance to get revenge during the second round of the 2026 SEC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament.
Unlike in their first matchup, the Gators controlled singles play. Florida defeated No. 19 Auburn (16-9, 6-8 SEC) with Henry Jefferson securing the 4-2 win on Thursday at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
To start the doubles portion, the Gators on court two, senior Pablo Perez Ramos and junior Adhithya Ganesan, made quick work of their opponents, winning 6-1.
Jefferson was not as lucky as he, and senior Tanapatt Nirundorn fell 6-4 to brothers Freddy and Billy Blaydes.
The last court remained competitive but eventually fell in Auburn's favor, 7-5, after Hamza Nasridinov and Jake Kennedy shut down a close Gator comeback.
At the beginning of singles, the Auburn attack slowed down. Juniors Jeremy Jin, Kevin Edengren and Ganesan took an early 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4 lead in their singles matches. Claverie followed behind with his own 6-3 first-set win.
But for the other two Gators, the start of their matches proved difficult. Ramos fell 6-3 to Alan Bojarski, while Jefferson lost 6-4 to the other brother, Freddy Blaydes.
Yet the second set proved beneficial for most Gators. Edengren grabbed Florida’s first point with his concluding 6-2 victory, and Claverie granted Florida its second point with his 7-6 straight set victory against No. 76 Billy Blaydes.
Ramos and Jefferson marked another turnaround with their 6-3 and 6-4 middle frame wins. The Spaniard continued his conquest, winning his match 6-2, marking Ramos’ 22nd overall singles win this season and Florida’s third point. While Jefferson got it done with the 7-5 final set.
Jin was the only Gator to be defeated, losing 6-4 twice.
Ganesan’s final set was left unfinished, thanks to Jefferson’s late-game heroics.
Florida’s run at a seventh SEC Championship trophy is still alive and will have another shot at revenge against No. 1 Texas on Friday at 7 p.m. in College Station, Texas.
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.)
