Despite growing up in Florida, Illinois freshman Marc Spicijaric has never been a fan of the Gators.

After Spicijaric and the Illinois men’s tennis team topped Florida 5-2, there is a good chance the Gators may not be fans of Spicijaric.

Illinois got off to a strong start in doubles against the Gators and never looked back. The team’s doubles performance, where the Illini swept the Gators on all three courts, was the best in its outdoor season, said Illinois head coach Brad Dancer.

Although all of the doubles teams were impressive, the performance of sophomores Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe was especially encouraging, Dancer said.

“They’ve really responded to the challenges we have given them,” Dancer said. “They have their minds set on being a dominant doubles team.”

Anderson and Rowe won the first doubles match of the afternoon, defeating Stefan Tell and Nestor Brinceno 8-5. Junior GD Jones and Spicijaric clinched the doubles point for the Illini with a 8-6 win over Chris Brandi and Greg Oulette. It was the tandem’s first win of the season.

The Illini capitalized on the momentum they gained in doubles to produce four straight-set singles victories to seal the win.

Anderson, Rowe, Spicijaric and senior Ryler DeHeart tallied singles victories. Both DeHeart and Spicijaric were playing in front of several Illini fans when they won their matches. DeHeart – the nation’s No. 3 singles player – had family in the crowd, as his mother and grandparents made the trip from Tampa to Gainesville to attend the match and watch DeHeart defeat Janne Holmia 7-5, 6-1. Spicijaric’s father came from Wesley Chapel, Fla., and was able to watch his son top Ryan Sherry 6-4, 6-3.

“Sometimes it is easy to forget to comment on how well Ryler is playing,” Dancer said. “But his excellence is consistent.”

The tennis team’s week was not over after it trounced Florida. Instead, the team stayed in the Sunshine State to train and watch several professional athletes compete at the Nasdaq 100 Open in Miami.

“Seeing the professionals definitely motivated us to work harder to get to that level,” Spicijaric said.

Illinois sophomore Ruben Gonzales, who plans to compete at the professional level in the future, said he was impressed by several of the athletes who competed in Miami, including Roger Federer, the world’s No.1 singles player.

Gonzales saw Federer compete five years ago and noted the professional’s marked improvement.

“He’s in his own world – he’s unbelievable,” Gonzales said.

There are other athletes though, Gonzales said, who have similar playing styles and skills that the Illinois athletes have. In the past, former Illinois tennis players have competed in the main draws or qualifying portions of the Nasdaq 100 Open. Those former Illini include Amer Delic, Graydon Oliver and Rajeev Ram, who was in attendance at the event this year but not competing.

“It was definitely an eye-opening experience and a great opportunity to see people playing at the level where I want to be eventually,” Gonzales said.