University of Georgia Athletics
Austin Smith Named SEC Player Of The Week
April 06, 2016 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia senior men's tennis player Austin Smith has been named the SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career, the league office announced on Wednesday.
The Cumming, Georgia native, who is ranked 22nd in singles and fourth in doubles, has won five-straight singles matches, including back-to-back match-clinchers in the Bulldogs' big road wins at No 10 Texas A&M and No. 39 LSU last week. Smith is currently 7-1 against SEC opponents and 8-2 in his last 10 matches at the No. 1 singles court.
Smith fought back a first-set loss against Texas A&M's No. 18 Arthur Rinderknech last Friday to deliver the match-clinching win at the No. 1 court and then turned around and delivered another three-set, match-clincher against LSU on Sunday.
In doubles, Smith pairs with fellow senior Ben Wagland as the No. 4 ranked team in the latest Oracle/ITA Rankings. The Bulldog tandem is 11-3 at the No. 1 doubles court in dual-match play, and boasts a 6-5 record against ranked opponents.
Georgia hosts two pivotal SEC matches this weekend. The Bulldogs welcome Florida at 5 p.m. on Friday and Auburn for a 1 p.m. first serve on Sunday.
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