GAINESVILLE, Fla.—The Florida men's tennis team opened their dual season on Monday with a contest against Georgia Southern. The Gators defended their home courts and defeated the Eagles 6-1. Florida went 2-1 in doubles action and 5-1 in singles.
 
Florida pair Janmagnus Johnson and Adhithya Ganesan saw Laruent Julia Calac /Aaron James Williams on court two. The duo battled but was outlasted by the Eagles pair, dropping the match 6-3. Georgia Southern led Florida 1-0 in the race to the doubles point.
 
No. 76 Kevin Edengren and Jeremy Jin found success against Matthew Mitchell/Pierre Mouesca on court three. Edengren and Jin left little room for doubt as they logged a 6-2 victory.
 
No. 16 Tanapatt Nirundorn/Henry Jefferson manned court one and faced No. 54 Pol del Castillo/Dimitris Paliouras. The match went back and forth until Florida led 6-5 with the chance to secure the doubles point. The duo maintained control and claimed the win 7-5 to give Florida a 1-0 advantage going into singles.
 
The Gators had an impressive showing in singles action. On court three, Jefferson dominated the first set cruising to a 6-2 win over Mouesca . Jefferson used his momentum to secure a straight set victory, taking the second 6-4 to give Florida a 2-0 lead.
 
Ganesan also recorded a straight set victory for the Gators. Ganesan trailed No. 84 Paliouras 4-3 in the first set before knotting up score 5-5. The two sat at 6-6 before going into a tiebreak with Ganesan taking the first set 7-6. Paliouras attempted to respond in the second, but Ganesan proved to be a tough competitor taking the second set 6-3.
 
Johnson got off to a strong start over James Williams on court two. The Gator veteran led 2-0 before James Williams got into the scoring column. The two battled before James Williams took a 5-3 lead in the first set. Despite Johnson's effort, he fell 6-4 in the first set. Johnson kept his focus and answered in the second set with a 6-3 win to force a third. Despite his effort, Johnson went scoreless in the final third dropping the set 6-0.
 
Nirundorn found success on court four against del Castillo. Nirundorn took the first set 6-4. Nirundorn claimed the fourth point and secured the win for the Gators with a 6-4 victory in the second.
 
Freshman Ben Weintraub defeated Mitchell  on court six earning the Gators' their fifth point of the day. Weintraub dominated in a straight set victory, defeating Mitchell 6-3, 6-0.
 
Edengren battled against Julia Calac on court five. The sophomore snagged a quick 6-3 win in the first set over the Georgia Southern senior. Edengren continued his strong performance leading 3-1 in the second set. Edengren stayed in rhythm taking the second 6-2 and logging the sixth and final point of the afternoon.
 
Doubles Results

1. No. 16 Tanapatt Nirundorn/Henry Jefferson def. No. 54 Pol del Castillo/Dimitris Paliouras, 7-5
2. Lrauent Julia Calac /Aaron James Williams def. Janmagnus Johnson/Adhithya Ganesan, 6-3
3. No. 76 Kevin Edengren/Jeremy Jin def. Matthew Mitchell/Pierre Mouesca, 6-2

 Order of finish: 2,3,1

Singles Results

1. Adhithya Ganesan (UF) def. Dimitris Paliouras (GS) 7-6, 6-3
2. Aaron James Williams (GS) def. JanMagnus Johnson (UF) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
3. No. 106 Henry Jefferson (UF) def. Pierre Mouesca, 6-2, 6-4
4. Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) def. Pol del Castillo (GS) 6-4, 6-4
5. Kevin Edengren (UF) def. Laurent Julia Cala (GS) 6-3, 6-2 
6. Ben Weintraub (UF) def. Matthew Mitchell (GS) 6-3, 6-0

Order of finish: 3,1,2,4,6,5
 
NEXT UP:
The Gators will travel to New York City to compete in ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Florida faces Middle Tennessee on January 25. UF will enter the match the No. 2 seed at Columbia.

ITA RANKINGS
Florida finds itself ranked No. 24 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Two Gators are ranked in singles competition: Jeremy Jin at No. 41 and Henry Jefferson at No. 106.  Doubles pair Tanapatt Nirundorn and Henry Jefferson also cracked into the ITA rankings at No. 16. Kevin Edengren and Jeremy Jin round out the ranked players for Florida sitting at No. 76.

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