New York City, N.Y. –  The Gators fell 4-2 in their championship match against No. 7 Columbia on day two of ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

Columbia gained the early edge by securing the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead. On court two, Adhithya Ganesan and Ben Weintraub met Max Westphal and Sachin Palta. The Florida pair battled but the Columbia duo ultimately took the match 6-2.

No. 16 Tanapatt Nirundorn and Henry Jefferson faced No. 75 Michael Zheng and Nicolas Kotzen on court one. The Lions took control early and claimed the doubles point with a 6-3 victory over Nirundorn and Jefferson.

No. 76 Jeremy Jin and Kevin Edengren kept the match close against Hugo Hashimoto and Jayden Templeman, but the match was left unfinished with Columbia leading 4-3.

In singles play, the Lions struck first with back to back points against Florida. On court six Thanaphat Boosarawongse gave the Lions a 2-0 advantage, recording a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ben Weintraub. Top-ranked Zheng followed immediately after giving Columbia their third point with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ganesan.

Florida responded with Edengren getting the Gators on the board. Edengren put on an impressive performance pver Palta that led to a 6-3, 6-2 straight set victory.

After Edengren's win, the Orange and Blue began to find their momentum as No. 106 Jefferson earned a 7-5, 6-4 win over Westphal on court three.

However, the Lions No. 33 Hashimoto clinched the match for Columbia after defeating Nirundorn. Nirundorn was edged in a tough 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) battle.

The court two showdown between No. 41 Jin and No. 42 Kotzen remained unfinished, with Jin leading 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) when the match was decided.
 
Singles competition
1. #1 Michael Zheng (COL) def. Adhithya Ganesan (UF) 6-4, 6-2
2. #42 Nicolas Kotzen (COL) vs. #41 Jeremy Jin (UF) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), unfinished
3. #106 Henry Jefferson (UF) def. Max Westphal (COL) 7-5, 6-4
4. #33 Hugo Hashimoto (COL) def. Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
5. Kevin Edengren (UF) def. Sachin Palta (COL) 6-3, 6-2
6. T. Boosarawongse (COL) def. Ben Weintraub (UF) 6-0, 6-0

Order of finish: 6,1,5,3,4

Doubles competition
1. #75 Michael Zheng/Nicolas Kotzen (COL) def. #16 Henry Jefferson/Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-3
2. Max Westphal/Sachin Palta (COL) def. Adhithya Ganesan/Ben Weintraub (UF) 6-2
3. Hugo Hashimoto/Jayden Templeman (COL) vs. Jeremy Jin/Kevin Edengren (UF) 4-3, unfinished

Order of finish: 2,1

NEXT UP:
The Gators travel to Tallahassee to face in-state rival Florida State. The match is set for January 31 at 5:30 p.m.

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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