KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The ninth-ranked Tennessee men’s tennis team posted a 6-1 win over No. 27 Florida to notch an impressive 4-0 start to conference play on Sunday afternoon at Barksdale Stadium.
The Vols (15-3, 4-0 SEC) cruised to their 17th doubles point of the season over Florida (6-6, 2-2 SEC), sparked by a 6-1 victory from the fourth-ranked duo of Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz over the Gators’ Nate Bonetto and Aidan Kim. The No. 20 pairing of Shunsuke Mitsui and Filip Pieczonka followed with a 6-2 effort over UF’s 39th-ranked Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn, marking their second victory over a ranked opponent in 2024.
Diaz gave UT a 2-0 advantage with a 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 99 Nirundorn at the No. 4 spot, tallying his second victory over a ranked opponent this year. Florida put a point on the board with a win on court six. Pieczonka routed Henry Jefferson, 6-3, 7-5, to boast a 5-0 record at the No. 5 spot in dual match play. Moments later, 23rd-ranked Mitsui defeated Kim, 6-3, 6-4, to clinch the Big Orange win.
Sixth-ranked Monday battled in three sets to defeat No. 97 Jeremy Jin atop the lineup, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, registering his 10th win over a ranked opponent in 2023-24. Chris Li closed out singles action with a gritty 7-5, 6-7(7), 10-5 effort over Bonetto on court three.
SHUN AND Z AT NO. 2
Mitsui and Pieczonka registered their 15th doubles win as a pair with a 6-2 victory over UF’s 39th-ranked Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn. The duo has clinched six doubles points for the Vols this season. Additionally, Tennessee is now 10-1 when the two win in doubles action.
STRONG START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Vols are on a strong 4-0 streak to open SEC action, which ties the program’s best start to conference play since 2021. That year, the Vols won their first four contests before dropping a decision to Florida but ultimately notched an impressive 10-2 record to finish second in the SEC. A win over Texas A&M on March 15 would put the Vols at an impressive 5-0 record to start SEC action, which hasn’t occurred since the 2010 dual season.
UP NEXT
UT will travel to College Station to take on No. 10 Texas A&M in a top-10 showdown on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) at Mitchell Tennis Center.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #4 Angel Diaz/Johannus Monday (UT) def. Nate Bonetto/Aidan Kim (UF) 6-1
2. #20 Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka (UT) def. #39 Adhithya Ganesan/Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-2
3. Younes Lalami/
The Vols (15-3, 4-0 SEC) cruised to their 17th doubles point of the season over Florida (6-6, 2-2 SEC), sparked by a 6-1 victory from the fourth-ranked duo of Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz over the Gators’ Nate Bonetto and Aidan Kim. The No. 20 pairing of Shunsuke Mitsui and Filip Pieczonka followed with a 6-2 effort over UF’s 39th-ranked Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn, marking their second victory over a ranked opponent in 2024.
Diaz gave UT a 2-0 advantage with a 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 99 Nirundorn at the No. 4 spot, tallying his second victory over a ranked opponent this year. Florida put a point on the board with a win on court six. Pieczonka routed Henry Jefferson, 6-3, 7-5, to boast a 5-0 record at the No. 5 spot in dual match play. Moments later, 23rd-ranked Mitsui defeated Kim, 6-3, 6-4, to clinch the Big Orange win.
Sixth-ranked Monday battled in three sets to defeat No. 97 Jeremy Jin atop the lineup, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, registering his 10th win over a ranked opponent in 2023-24. Chris Li closed out singles action with a gritty 7-5, 6-7(7), 10-5 effort over Bonetto on court three.
SHUN AND Z AT NO. 2
Mitsui and Pieczonka registered their 15th doubles win as a pair with a 6-2 victory over UF’s 39th-ranked Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn. The duo has clinched six doubles points for the Vols this season. Additionally, Tennessee is now 10-1 when the two win in doubles action.
STRONG START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Vols are on a strong 4-0 streak to open SEC action, which ties the program’s best start to conference play since 2021. That year, the Vols won their first four contests before dropping a decision to Florida but ultimately notched an impressive 10-2 record to finish second in the SEC. A win over Texas A&M on March 15 would put the Vols at an impressive 5-0 record to start SEC action, which hasn’t occurred since the 2010 dual season.
UP NEXT
UT will travel to College Station to take on No. 10 Texas A&M in a top-10 showdown on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) at Mitchell Tennis Center.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #4 Angel Diaz/Johannus Monday (UT) def. Nate Bonetto/Aidan Kim (UF) 6-1
2. #20 Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka (UT) def. #39 Adhithya Ganesan/Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-2
3. Younes Lalami/
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