As the Gators fell short in both the regular season and the Southeastern Conference tournament, they began strong where it really mattered: the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Tournament.
Entering its 35th NCAA Tournament appearance, No. 19 Florida (17-13, 6-8 SEC) dominated Stetson University (14-7, 1-2 ASUN) 5-0 in the first round as the Gators swept all courts in Orlando.
Doubles play began with the Gators in control, as senior Pablo Perez Ramos and junior Adhithya Ganesan opened with a quick 6-1 win.
That pace quickly faded as the Hatters bounced back with a 6-2 win at position three, despite an early Gator lead.
But as the final doubles set dragged on, the No. 14 duo of senior Tanapatt Nirundorn and junior Henry Jefferson fought hard for a 7-5 comeback victory.
The Gators carried this momentum into singles as they found their footing.
Junior Kevin Edengren avenged his doubles loss with a bagel and wrapped up his match with a narrow 6-4 win for Florida’s second point.
This turnaround was also seen in multiple other Gators as they fought back to take their first sets. Most notable was Ramos, who yelled to himself, “Wake up,” after being down 2-0 in the first set, which worked as he survived 7-5.
The Spaniard battled again in the second set, winning 6-0 on a deuce point finale, sending the Gators to the second round.
Like his teammates, Jefferson also dominated his first set, taking it 6-2. Senior Hatter Marc Saura pushed back in the final set, but ultimately fell 6-4 to grant Florida its third point.
Unlike Ramos, Ganesan favored a quiet, calm approach as he also bounced back to take his first set 6-3. He wrapped up the last set seconds after Ramos to grant Florida’s fifth point with a 6-2 win.
Senior Lorenzo Claverie and junior Jeremy Jin followed as they both won their first sets 6-2, 6-3, as their matches were left unfinished.
Florida will face the winner of South Carolina State (13-7, 5-0 MEAC) and No. 15 UCF (20-6, 5-3 Big 12) at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Orlando.
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.)
