Friday, January 30
Gainesville, Fla.
5 p.m.
Florida Gators
vs
FSU
No. 18 Men’s Tennis Faces Two Instate Rivals this Weekend with FSU and No. 9 UCF
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | Men's Tennis
The Gators men’s tennis team will take on FSU at home on Friday, Jan. 30 and will travel to No. 9 UCF to play on Sunday, Feb. 1.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators men's tennis team takes on two more instate rivals with FSU at home and No. 9 UCF on the road. Florida will face the Seminoles on Friday, Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. EST at home and will face the Knights on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. EST at the USTA National Center's indoor courts.
Recapping the ITA Kickoff Weekend
The Gators went on a run this weekend with wins over then No. 23 Kentucky and then No. 13 Columbia. The team went in unranked by the ITA, but was the No. 2 seed for the ITA Kickoff Weekend behind Columbia and ahead of Kentucky and Illinois. Florida won both matches 4-2, with both wins being clinched by freshman Andreas Timini on court six.
Against Kentucky, the Gators won the doubles point on courts two and three and took the win with victories on courts one, four and six. The Gators won against Columbia with four singles wins on courts one, four, five and six, after losing the doubles point for the first time this season. The Gators left New York with their undefeated record and a trip to SMU for the ITA National Indoors.
FSU Match Information
The Seminoles come into the match up with a three-match losing streak, making their record 5-3. Their three losses came from No. 16 Arizona and No. 22 Pepperdine in the ITA Kickoff Weekend and a loss from Arizona prior to the weekend. Florida State entered the season ranked at No. 22 but has since dropped from the top-25 with their three losses. The team does hold three players ranked in singles with Azariah Rusher at No. 43, Erik Schiessl at No. 50 and Luis Felipe Miguel at No. 69. The Seminoles also have three doubles pairings ranked with the team of Felipe Miguel/Schiessl at No. 43, Justin Lyons/Rusher at No. 56 and Mohammad Alkotop/Rusher at No. 82.
Knowledge on the Knights
The Knights will enter the match against the Gators ranked at No. 9 by the ITA and have an undefeated record of 6-0. In the ITA Kickoff Weekend, UCF defeated then No. 21 Southern California and then No. 17 Oklahoma to qualify for the ITA National Indoors, where they will play at the Baylor host site. Along with the team ranking of No. 9, the Knights have one player ranked for singles with Wissam Abderrahman at No. 59 and no doubles pairings ranked.
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Recapping the ITA Kickoff Weekend
The Gators went on a run this weekend with wins over then No. 23 Kentucky and then No. 13 Columbia. The team went in unranked by the ITA, but was the No. 2 seed for the ITA Kickoff Weekend behind Columbia and ahead of Kentucky and Illinois. Florida won both matches 4-2, with both wins being clinched by freshman Andreas Timini on court six.
Against Kentucky, the Gators won the doubles point on courts two and three and took the win with victories on courts one, four and six. The Gators won against Columbia with four singles wins on courts one, four, five and six, after losing the doubles point for the first time this season. The Gators left New York with their undefeated record and a trip to SMU for the ITA National Indoors.
FSU Match Information
- Time: 5 p.m. EST
- Location: Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
- Live Stream
- Live Stats for FSU
- Promotions:
- The first 100 fans can receive a free Gators Tennis t-shirt when they come watch the team face off against their rivals, the Florida State Seminoles. The match is free admission and gates will open at 4 p.m. EST, with parking available in the law school lot (restrictions lift at 3:30 p.m. EST).
- Time: 10 a.m. EST
- Location: USTA National Campus (Orlando, Fla.)
- Live Stream
- Live Stats for UCF
The Seminoles come into the match up with a three-match losing streak, making their record 5-3. Their three losses came from No. 16 Arizona and No. 22 Pepperdine in the ITA Kickoff Weekend and a loss from Arizona prior to the weekend. Florida State entered the season ranked at No. 22 but has since dropped from the top-25 with their three losses. The team does hold three players ranked in singles with Azariah Rusher at No. 43, Erik Schiessl at No. 50 and Luis Felipe Miguel at No. 69. The Seminoles also have three doubles pairings ranked with the team of Felipe Miguel/Schiessl at No. 43, Justin Lyons/Rusher at No. 56 and Mohammad Alkotop/Rusher at No. 82.
Knowledge on the Knights
The Knights will enter the match against the Gators ranked at No. 9 by the ITA and have an undefeated record of 6-0. In the ITA Kickoff Weekend, UCF defeated then No. 21 Southern California and then No. 17 Oklahoma to qualify for the ITA National Indoors, where they will play at the Baylor host site. Along with the team ranking of No. 9, the Knights have one player ranked for singles with Wissam Abderrahman at No. 59 and no doubles pairings ranked.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: X | Facebook | Instagram
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