New York, N.Y. – The Gators are hosted by Columbia University for the 2026 ITA Kickoff Weekend, where they will face the Kentucky Wildcats in the opening round at 11 a.m. EST on Jan. 23, and will either face Columbia or Illinois in the championship/consolation round.

The ITA Kickoff Weekend features 14 host sites for 56 programs looking for a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships taking place Feb. 13-17. There will be 14 qualifying teams to join SMU and Baylor who automatically qualify for hosting the ITA National Indoor Championships for a total of 16 programs competing in Texas.

Florida was seeded as the No. 2 team for the weekend, with Columbia being seeded No. 1, Kentucky No. 3 and Illinois at No. 4.

Last Time Out

The Gators held out against the South Florida with a tight 4-3 victory over the Bulls, with the match clinch coming from Henry Jefferson on court two. The Gators had given themselves a good 3-0 lead after winning the doubles point and two singles matches by Pablo Perez Ramos and Andreas Timini in their first home dual. The Bulls evened the score winning courts one, three and five. Leading the deciding point to Jefferson who took the win in a three-set victory.

Facts About the ‘Cats

Kentucky entered the dual season not ranked in the top 25, but since going 3-0 to start the season the team Wildcats climbed to No. 23. This match up will be the 72^nd meeting between the Gators and the Wildcats in program history, with Florida holding a 53-18 record. The Wildcats have three ranked singles players and one doubles pairing ranked by the ITA.

Lowdown on the Lions

The Columbia University Lions came into the dual season ranked at No. 10 by the ITA, but has since fallen to No. 13 after receiving a 3-4 loss from South Carolina to make their record 1-1. Florida and Columbia have faced off five times in the past with the Gators coming out on top with a 4-1 record. Last year, Columbia defeated Florida in the ITA Kickoff Weekend to advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships. The Lions boast three singles players and one doubles pairing being ranked by the ITA.

Illini Intel

The Illini came into the season ranked at No. 24, but have fallen to No. 25 after going 0-1 against Mississippi State. The Gators and the Illini have faced off a total of 23 times in program history, with a pretty even overall record between the two programs at 12-11. The Gators last time competing against Illinois was in 2022 when they had a decisive 7-0 victory. The Illini have two singles players ranked by the ITA at No. 10 and No. 87. 

Weekend Information

Friday, Jan. 23: vs. Kentucky

• Time: 11 a.m. EST
• Location: Milstein Family Tennis Center  
• Stats
• Watch

Saturday, Jan. 24: vs. Columbia or Illinois

• Time: 11 a.m. EST or 2 p.m. EST
• Location: Milstein Family Tennis Center 
• Stats

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