No. 15 Florida jumps up in ITA rankings, prepares for SEC stretch
By Ethan Feinberg | Feb. 21The Gators have 15 matches left in their regular season; 14 of them are SEC opponents, and eight are ranked in the top 30.
The Gators have 15 matches left in their regular season; 14 of them are SEC opponents, and eight are ranked in the top 30.
The 2026 Nexo Dallas Open was a prestigious high-level tennis tournament and the only indoor Association of Tennis Professionals Tour championship in the United States of America. And ultimately, it was a Florida alum who took the crown.
The Gators men’s tennis team looked to walk out of Dallas with a positive record in the 2026 ITA National Indoors.
The dual match came down to the third set as junior Kevin Edengren mounted a relentless comeback, winning 6-4 in his last two sets and securing the win for the Gators. After a slow start to the ITA National Indoors on Friday, Florida got things going and defeated Clemson 4-3 in the tournament's day-two back draw round Saturday night in Dallas, Texas.
After a 4-0 sweep last week and after securing a spot in the 2026 ITA National Indoor tournament, No. 23 Florida looked to keep its momentum rolling. However, it ran into a wagon: No. 6 Mississippi State.
Despite leaving Troy winless in the morning, the Gators were still hungry for more victories on Friday. They gave Louisiana no room to breathe in their first meeting in program history. No. 24 Florida defeated the Louisiana Raging Cajuns 7-0 on Friday afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
A sunny sky and an at-home crowd seemed to be the perfect formula for the Florida women’s tennis team.
Henry Jefferson claimed his 6-2, 6-2 singles win over Florida Gulf Coast University’s Tanner Povey, leading the charge to the Gators’ first victory since Jan. 24. He got the final shot by Povey, headlined by his 3-0 run across the middle game stretch, and secured Florida’s fourth point.
Florida men’s tennis could not get things going on the road and fell to No. 9 University of Central Florida, suffering back-to-back losses.
On a cold Friday night, the Gators got hot but were eventually extinguished by a tough Florida State squad. A majority of the Florida players committed numerous unforced errors that proved costly due to FSU’s relentless pressure.
Of all the best tennis players around the world, only 128 are chosen to compete in one of the most renowned tournaments in the sport. Former Gator Ben Shelton had the honor of being selected as one of the players to compete for a chance to hoist the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
The Gators had opened their 2026 season without defeat, overtaking Charleston Southern and Ole Miss. However, that streak and their hopes of punching their ticket to the championship fell short against the only other ranked opponent at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, No. 11 North Carolina State.
Despite a severe weather warning in North Carolina, the No. 23 Florida women’s tennis team stayed hot on the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center court. Florida stunned Ole Miss to clinch a 4-2 victory.
With all three of the other teams ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association top 25, Florida (3-0) was the odd one out. Yet, they showed out.
Gators men’s tennis began its home opener with dominance and revenge on its mind. With flashbacks of their second-round exit in last year's DI Men’s Tennis Championship against No. 15 UCF fueling their play, Florida delivered a 4-3 dual match victory.
Florida women’s tennis showed up and showed out, opening the 2026 season with a win over Charleston Southern University.
Ranked No. 23 in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, Florida heads into the 2026 spring season with confidence after a strong fall showing.
Florida wraps up the fall preseason, coming up just short of securing a doubles title at the NCAA Championships this past weekend.
Paskauskas logged the longest run at the tournament for Florida, falling just short of All-American status.
A pair of Gators competed in this past week’s Orlando M15 with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. However, the duo had early exits, ending any hopes of qualifying.