In a three-set thriller in the first round, Florida freshman Lucie Pawlak logged her highest career-ranked win against the No. 1 player in the nation Thursday.
After three grueling hours of play, Pawlak came out victorious against Auburn senior DJ Bennett.
“I fought until the last point,” Pawlak said. “I’m proud to be a Gator.”
Bennett was the highest-ranked player in the ITA women’s tennis rankings and came into the South Sectional as a second seed. Bennett was the champion of the inaugural NCAA Individual Singles Championship last year.
The win came in the first round of the ITA South Sectionals, which ran from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Three other Gators had impressive showings at the ITA Southern Sectional, qualifying for the NCAA Individual Championships later this month.
Pawlak started off the match strong, winning the first set 7-5, but Bennett came back to win the second set. The two players were evenly matched throughout most of the final set before Pawlak saved three match points, rallying to win the third set 7-6 (7-3).
The feat is the freshman’s biggest win this fall season so far. Pawlak has had varied success across the fall tournaments so far.
“It’s great for Lucie to get one of these top wins early in her career,” head coach Per Nilsson said. “It’s always great to see players that work very hard get rewarded.”
Pawlak was not the only Florida player who beat a ranked opponent at the South Sectional.
Junior Valery Gynina took down No. 19 Tennessee senior Catherine Aulia in straight sets Friday in the consolation quarter-finals. Gynina then defeated Kentucky senior Zoe Hammond in straight sets, advancing to the final before withdrawing from the tournament.
In singles, Gabia Paskauskas made her deepest run this season at the sectional. She defeated Georgia Tech junior Scarlett Nicholson in three sets to advance to the second round. She then secured two decisive straight-set victories in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.
Paskauskas automatically qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships by advancing to the semifinals of the main draw.
Senior Xinyi Nong secured a win against Tennessee senior Vanesa Suarez 6-2, 1-6, 6-4, in the first round of the sectional. In the round of 16, she defeated Georgia senior Sofia Rojas 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Nong was set to face Pawlak in the quarterfinals, but advanced to the semifinals after Pawlak withdrew from the match. Nong also qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship with her performance at the sectional.
In doubles, Nong and sophomore Nikola Daubnerova played their fourth tournament together, coming into the draw as a second seed. The pair first defeated Georgia’s Emily Deming and Hayden Mulberry in straight sets.
In the quarterfinals, the duo defeated Auburn’s Ava Esposito and DJ Bennett. They took on Vanderbilt’s Bridget Stammel and Valeria Ray in the semifinals, winning 7-6, 6-4. With the win, they advanced to the final and qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Paskauskas, Nong and Daubnerova will continue fall play at the NCAA Individual Championships, which run from Nov. 18 to Nov. 23 in Orlando, Florida.
Contact Nicole Lopez at nlopez@alligator.org. Follow her on X @lopeznicole715.
Nicole is a sophomore journalism student and the women's tennis beat reporter for the fall semester. In her free time, she enjoys reading, collecting records and spending time with her friends and family.
