University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Ole Miss
Bulldogs Move To SEC Semifinals
April 22, 2016 | Men's Tennis
Coach Manuel Diaz, Walker Duncan, and Paul Oosterbaan talk about battling back against the days schedule changes and how proud they are of the team fighting today.
April 22, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A rain-soaked day in Columbia forced the sixth-ranked Georgia men's tennis team indoors as the Bulldogs took down No. 29 Ole Miss 4-0 Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2016 SEC Tournament.
The match was originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m., but rain forced a near four-hour delay to the start of the contest between the ninth-seeded Rebels and No. 1 overall seed Georgia. The two teams played singles first and Georgia quickly took advantage with wins at the top four courts.
The Bulldogs, who improve to 19-3 overall and a perfect 13-0 against SEC opponents this season will play the winner of the contest between fourth-seeded Mississippi State and No. 5 seed Kentucky on Saturday. Match time for the semifinal contest is currently scheduled for Noon ET, but will most likely change due to Friday's delays.
"It was quite a long day, but I think our guys handled it well," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "I'm really proud of our team and how they fought through all the delays. They just did a tremendous job staying focused. We came out very strong in most of our matches, and I can't say enough about the way we played today."
Georgia redshirt sophomore Paul Oosterbaan gave his team the early momentum and picked up his fifth-straight victory of the season with a dominating, 6-2, 6-1 win over Ole Miss' Grey Hamilton at the No. 3 position.
Up 1-0, the Bulldogs quickly took wins at the top two courts with Wayne Montgomery's 6-4, 6-3 triumph and Austin Smith's 6-2, 7-5 victory over 47th-ranked Gustav Hansson. The win for Smith marked his 16th over a ranked opponent during the 2015-16 campaign.
With the 3-0 lead in hand, all eyes turned to the No. 4 court, where freshman Walker Duncan delivered a match-clinching 7-6 (1), 6-4 win.
The Bulldogs will find out Saturday's match time at the conclusion of Friday's contest between Mississippi State and Kentucky. Follow the team on Twitter (@UGATennis) for more updates.
Tennis Match Results
(9) Ole Miss vs (1) Georgia
4/22/2016 at Columbia, S.C.
(Carolina Tennis Center)
#6 (1) Georgia 4, #29 (9) Ole Miss 0
Singles Results
1. #17 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #47 Gustav Hansson (UM) 6-2, 7-5
2. #35 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #51 Stefan Lindmark (UM) 6-4, 6-3
3. #96 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Grey Hamilton (UM) 6-2, 6-1
4. Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Fabian Fallert (UM) 7-6 (7-1), 6-4
5. Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. Zvonimir Babic (UM) 2-6, 1-1, unfinished
6. Nick Wood (UGA) vs. Vinod Gowda (UM) 3-1, unfinished
Doubles Results
1. #28 Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (UM) vs. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) no result
2. Zvonimir Babic/Ricardo Jorge (UM) vs. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) no result
3. Gustav Hansson/Stefan Lindmark (UM) vs. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) no result
Match Notes:
(9) Ole Miss 15-10, 5-7 SEC; National ranking #29
(1) Georgia 19-3, 12-0 SEC; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (); Singles (3,2,1,4)
SEC Tournament (Quarterfinals)
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