The No. 16 Oklahoma men’s tennis team is preparing for two key matchups this week, hosting No. 24 Florida on Thursday before traveling to face No. 22 Mississippi State on Saturday.
The Sooners take on the Gators at 5 p.m. CT at the Headington Family Tennis Center, where fans are encouraged to wear white for the season’s first whiteout match. After that, Oklahoma heads to Starkville for a Saturday showdown against the Bulldogs at 1 p.m. CT.
Recent Performance
Oklahoma (9-3) is coming off a split weekend against ranked opponents. The Sooners secured a 4-2 win over No. 18 Tennessee last Friday before falling 4-3 to No. 12 Texas A&M on Sunday. Freshman Orel Kimhi played a key role, earning his first ranked win against Tennessee’s Alejandro Moreno and following up with another strong performance against Texas A&M.
In doubles, the Sooner duo of Bruno Nhavene and Oscar Lacides pulled off a big upset against Texas A&M’s No. 24-ranked pair, helping Oklahoma secure the doubles point. Lacides also continues to impress in singles, climbing to No. 76 in the latest ITA rankings.
Rankings and Key Players
Following their strong performances, the Sooners jumped 10 spots in the ITA team rankings to No. 16.
Lacides leads Oklahoma in singles rankings at No. 76, while his doubles pairing with Nhavene sits at No. 39. The duo has a 12-2 record and previously won the ITA Central Region doubles title.
Freshman Orel Kimhi has been a standout, winning his last four singles matches, including his ranked victory over Tennessee’s Moreno.
Scouting the Opponents
Florida (6-3) enters the matchup ranked No. 24 after a recent loss to No. 4 Texas. Before that, the Gators had won four straight, including victories over Auburn, Alabama, and Kentucky. Florida has three ranked singles players—No. 62 Jeremy Jin, No. 90 Henry Jefferson, and No. 95 Adhithya Ganesan—along with two ranked doubles pairs.
Mississippi State (12-2) comes in at No. 22 after defeating LSU in its last match. The Bulldogs have four ranked singles players and one of the top doubles teams in the country, with Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez ranked No. 4.
Up Next
After this week’s matches, the Sooners will continue their road stretch with trips to Auburn on March 13 and South Carolina on March 15.
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