Sports | Other Sports Tennis - The Independent Florida Alligator

Junior Alfredo Perez led the Gators to a sweep over the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday with victories in both doubles and singles play.

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UF men’s tennis team defeats No. 13 Michigan in weekend’s first road match

By Benjamin Brandt | Feb. 9, 2018

Only silence traveled with the ball as Michigan senior Alex Knight launched a forehand deep out of play. The error settled Florida junior Alfredo Perez’s comeback victory on the No. 1 singles court and clinched the UF men’s tennis team’s first win over a ranked opponent this season. The crowd in Ann Arbor shut down immediately.

Senior Anna Danilina picked up a victory in singles play on Saturday, but it wasn't enough, as the Gators fell to Florida State 4-3.

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Gators return to ITA indoor championships off losing streak

By River Wells | Feb. 9, 2018

After senior Josie Kuhlman’s heartbreaking loss on Wednesday to hand the Gators their second loss in a row, coach Roland Thornqvist assured that the team’s level of play would be enough to lead it to victory during the season. At the first meet of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Friday, Florida will have an imposing first test to see if those words will ring true.

Junior Alfredo Perez and the No. 11 Gators are playing tonight in their first matchup outside of Florida this season.

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No. 11 Florida begins roadtrip at No. 13 Michigan

By Benjamin Brandt | Feb. 8, 2018

The Florida men’s tennis team will open a stretch of indoor play tonight on the road against No. 13 Michigan. Following a disappointing loss to then No. 22 Florida State, the Gators hope to adopt a more aggressive brand of tennis.

Senior Josie Kuhlman lost the third and deciding set in the clinching match for Oklahoma State Wednesday night.

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Josie Kuhlman unable to finish off third-set lead in ‘heartbreaking’ collapse for Florida women’s tennis team

By River Wells | Feb. 7, 2018

Senior women’s tennis player Josie Kuhlman couldn’t help but feel confident.

Coach Roland Thornqvist said the freshmen starting for the No. 3 Gators will gain experience by playing both No. 18 Oklahoma State tonight as well as in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships starting Friday.

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Florida women’s tennis team facing Oklahoma State on Wednesday following tough loss to FSU

By River Wells | Feb. 6, 2018

Last Saturday, the No. 3 Florida women’s tennis team walked into its dual meet against Florida State with a 55-1 all-time record against the Seminoles, but was swiftly defeated 4-1.

Senior Anna Danilina is one of three seniors to play in dual-match meets this season. Florida's freshmen were swept by FSU during singles play Saturday night.

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Florida women’s tennis team’s inexperience shows in recent defeat to Florida State

By River Wells | Feb. 5, 2018

The Florida women’s tennis team is a tale of two extremes. With three freshmen and four seniors on the roster, the squad is a perfect balance of veterans and rookies.

Freshman Oliver Crawford fought off a series of match points in his doubles matchup against FSU. “He stepped up big getting us back in doubles,” coach Bryan Shelton said. “He kept us alive.”

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Crawford being exposed to high-pressure tennis early in UF career

By Benjamin Brandt | Feb. 4, 2018

Alone with only the sound of music playing from his phone and the power of his imagination, freshman Oliver Crawford prepared to serve.

Senior Anna Danilina — along with teammate Victoria Emma — defeated Florida State's Petra Hule and Andrea Garcia on Saturday in doubles competition between the Gators And Seminoles. FSU ultimately defeated UF 4-1, ending a seven-match losing streak against the in-state rival.

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No. 3 Florida women’s tennis team shocked by Seminoles in Orlando

By River Wells | Feb. 4, 2018

As the scoreboard changed from five to six, Florida State’s Ariana Rahmanparast celebrated. She’d just clinched a decisive singles victory over Florida’s Katie Kubicz, ending a seven-match losing streak for the Seminoles against the Gators.

Sophomore Johannes Ingildsen won his doubles set, but ended up losing his singles matchup that included a marathon 7-6(10) first-set loss.

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No. 8 Florida men’s tennis upset by No. 22 Florida State for second consecutive year

By Benjamin Brandt | Feb. 3, 2018

Fighting to save a fourth match point, freshman Oliver Crawford rushed the net only to watch the evening’s final ball soar right past him. The No. 22 Florida State men’s tennis team erupted in cheers after redshirt senior Lucas Poullain’s winning shot sealed the Seminoles’ victory over the No. 8-ranked Gators on Saturday in Orlando at the USTA National Campus. The 4-3 upset marks Florida’s (3-1) second consecutive loss to FSU (10-1).

Sophomore Johannes Ingildsen is ready to face Florida State again after last season’s 4-2 loss. “Everyone is fired up to get revenge,” he said.

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Gators men’s tennis team faces Seminoles on Saturday in rematch of last year’s upset loss

By Benjamin Brandt | Feb. 1, 2018

Tied at 5-5 in a decisive third set, Johannes Ingildsen had a chance to keep the Gators alive.

Senior Josie Kuhlman called Florida State “a big in-state rival” ahead of Florida’s match with the Seminoles on Saturday in Orlando. “We’re hoping for a really big crowd,” she said.

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Florida women’s tennis team looking to continue dominance over Florida State

By River Wells | Feb. 1, 2018

The year is 2009. The month is February.

UF coach Roland Thornqvist had tooled with the idea of changing his lineup away from pairing seniors with freshmen. After his team's success over the weekend, he reconsidered.

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Florida women’s tennis team sticking with senior-freshman doubles format

By River Wells | Jan. 29, 2018

Two hundred eighty-one days.

Andy Andrade is the No. 3 freshman on Florida's depth chart, but coach Bryan Shelton expressed confidence in his young player. “I think a lot of people are going to overlook this guy,” Shelton said.

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‘Don’t sleep on Andy Andrade': Freshman impresses in first week of dual match season

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 29, 2018

Andy Andrade wrapped his arm around his coach and smiled. He looked comfortable and confident. Volunteer assistant coach Scott Perelman had just joined Andrade on the sideline after the freshman concluded a speedy 6-0 first set win on the No. 5 singles court against South Alabama on Saturday. The two sat close on Andrade’s bench. They laughed.

Junior Alfredo Perez persisted through a grueling singles match that lasted an hour and 45 minutes against USF Sunday afternoon.

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Florida men’s tennis team sweeps USF to clinch spot in ITA Indoor Championship

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 28, 2018

Junior Alfredo Perez’s roar echoed inside the Perry Indoor Facility at the Ring Tennis Complex on Sunday. He had just turned the bad fortune of a serve’s awkward bounce off the net into an aggressive backhand winner. The shot kept Perez alive in the first set tiebreaker of a highly competitive match he’d eventually win, 7-6(6), 6-2, over South Florida senior Grayson Goldin.

Senior Josie Kuhlman was the first to win her singles match of the day and helped her team earn a spot at the ITA Division I Women’s Team Indoor Championships in February.

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UF women’s tennis team clinches ITA Indoor Championships berth with win over Louisiana-Monroe

By River Wells | Jan. 28, 2018

Every competing senior on the Florida women’s tennis team won their singles match in a 4-0 rout of Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, leaving UF’s freshmen unable to finish their matches. During Sunday’s matchup with Louisiana-Monroe at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, it was their turn to close the dual-match out.

Senior Anna Danilina and the No. 3 Gators swept Cal State Fullerton Saturday afternoon in their first dual-match meet of the season. “Everyone was a bit nervous,” Danilina said. “But I think we handled it well."

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Florida women’s tennis team sweeps Cal State Fullerton to advance to ITA Kick-Off Weekend Finals

By River Wells | Jan. 27, 2018

As senior Anna Danilina crouched down awaiting a serve, the home crowd at the Ring Tennis Complex began to clap in unison, a signal to Cal State Fullerton freshman Genevieve Zeidan that the match was about to come to an end.

Coach Bryan Shelton and the No. 6 Gators men's tennis team are playing for a bid to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship this weekend in Gainesville.

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Florida men’s tennis team hoping to secure bid to ITA National Indoor Championship

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 25, 2018

The Florida men’s tennis team is looking to start dual-match play 2-0 for the eighth consecutive season this weekend.

Senior Josie Kuhlman and the Gators begin dual-match play Saturday morning at 9. They are looking to rebound from a shaky opening tournament in Las Vegas.

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Gators women’s tennis team officially begins dual-match play with ITA Kickoff Weekend

By River Wells | Jan. 25, 2018

The Gators women’s tennis team has faced some of the best programs in the nation this season. When it comes to its upcoming opponent in Cal State Fullerton, however, the squad is left entirely in the dark.

Bryan Shelton said his players need to conserve their energy better following Monday’s win over UCF. “We had guys run out of gas,” he said.

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Florida men’s tennis coach Bryan Shelton looking for his players to control on-court emotions

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 23, 2018

The Gators had already clinched the match. A crowd of over 350 fans had dwindled down to just a handful. In its home opener against UCF on Monday night, Florida was just about ready to return to the locker room victorious. But junior McClain Kessler was still battling for a third-set win on the No. 6 singles court.

Florida men's tennis player teammate McClain Kessler (above) and teammate Duarte Vale defeated UCF doubles pair Mikhail Sokolovskiy and Gabriel Decamps 6-4 on Monday. The Gators as a whole beat the Knights 6-1 for the team's 2018 home opener at the Ring Tennis Complex.

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Florida men’s tennis team victorious in home opener against UCF

By Benjamin Brandt | Jan. 22, 2018

The Florida men’s tennis team gave the home crowd at the Ring Tennis Complex exactly what it wanted in Monday’s home-opener against UCF.