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Olivia Sayer
Georgia tennis players cheer on their teammates on April 13, 2023. The University of Georgia men’s tennis team defeats Mississippi State 6-1 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia. (Photo:Laney Martin; @laneymartinphotography)
The top-seeded Georgia men’s tennis team handedly defeated fifth-seeded Texas A&M 4-0 in the semifinals at the SEC men’s tennis tournament.
The win earned the Bulldogs a spot in the tournament championship for the first time since 2017, when they won the title. The Bulldogs have won the title 10 times, which is the best of any program in the SEC and accounts for 31 percent of all champions.
“Texas A&M is a well-coached team, so we knew that our work was cut out for us, but we did a great job today overall,” head coach Manny Diaz said. “We played well when we needed it, and this team is just continuing to get better in those difficult moments.”
Georgia started out strong on doubles behind the No. 7 ranked duo of senior Trent Bryde and freshman Ethan Quinn. The two defeated No. 71 Pierce Rollins and Matthis Ross, 6-2, the Georgia pair earned their 10th win this season against a ranked opponent and improved to 14-9 on the top court.
On court three, seniors Blake Croyder and Britton Johnston won their match against Raphael Perot and Kenner Taylor by a score of 6-4. The victory gave the senior duo their seventh point-clinching victory of the season and 13th victory on court three. Due to the point being clinched, the match with seniors Philip Henning and Teodor Giusca went unfinished on court two.
The Bulldogs handled the Aggies with ease in singles, where they took first sets on all six courts, with court four finishing first. No. 101 Croyder secured a 6-3, 6-4 score over No. 110 Trey Hilderbrand before the other courts even began their second sets. The victory gave Croyder his team-leading 14th straight set win and a record of 11-4 on court four.
On court five, sophomore Miguel Perez Peña earned his 10th win in previous 11 matches by defeating Matthis Ross 6-4, 6-1. Perez Peña has been lights out since moving to court five, where he currently holds a 6-1 record.
The match-clinching set came from the five-time SEC Freshman of the Week. No. 4 Quinn defeated No. 64 Raphael Perot 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 on court one. With the win, Quinn earned his 17th ranked win on the season and his eighth-straight match victory.
After the match, Diaz praised his team for their strong performances, highlighting how vital Quinn has been to Georgia’s success this season.
“We had strong play from Miguel, Trent, who was in pretty good shape in his match and Ethan clinching it for us at number one,” Diaz said. “He just keeps getting better and he’s done an outstanding job for us this year.”
The top-seeded Bulldogs took on the third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, April 23 at Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama.