University of Georgia Athletics
Sunday, March 21
Athens, GA
12:00 p.m.
University of Georgia
4
vs
2
UCF
Photo by: Ryan Luparello
Henning Rallies To Clinch Georgia Win
March 21, 2021 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. — Down a set and 5-2 in a match the No. 17-ranked Georgia men's tennis team looked like it had to have Sunday against No. 21 UCF, the Bulldogs' Philip Henning mounted a charge and rallied for a clinching win.
Henning's three-set victory, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, over Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi at No. 3 singles, two days after coming up short in a clinching opportunity against No. 13 Wake Forest on Friday, lifted the Bulldogs to a 4-2 win.
"I'm proud of the boys. I think they put up a great fight and showed a lot of heart in all areas," said Henning, who clinched 7-6 in the third last Sunday at Auburn but lost the third set 6-2 in the deciding match Friday. "For me, personally, I'm happy to get a win. It means a lot for me for my confidence because Friday was not the best or greatest feeling out there, but I came back today and showed my heart."
It was a day of key singles rallies for the Bulldogs at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Georgia won the doubles point but UCF then came out and took the first set in five of the six singles matches. Before Henning mounted his comeback, Billy Rowe at No. 5 singles came back after dropping the first set against Trey Hilderbrand (UCF), putting Georgia ahead 3-2.
"Just a tremendous effort by our team," Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz said. "Honestly, if I was betting man, I wouldn't have bet much that we had a shot at it. To say that our backs were against the wall would be an understatement. I'm really, really proud of our guys for how they fought and how they kept believing."
The Bulldogs (9-5) took the early lead in the doubles at No. 1, where Trent Bryde and Tyler Zink were taking on Gabriel DeCamps and Hilderbrand. At 2-2, Georgia had a break point at 40-all and Zink hit a return winner down the middle. Zink and Bryde then closed out the set, 6-3.
Georgia clinched the doubles point at No. 3, where Henning and Erik Grevelius defeated Mikhail Sokolovskiy and Kento Yamada, 6-4. The teams traded breaks of serve in the middle of the set and then with the Bulldogs up 5-4, Henning and Grevelius were able to get a break to clinch the set and the point for Georgia.
UCF, which is coached by John Roddick, a former Georgia All-American (1995-99) and Diaz's assistant coach on the 2001 national championship team, tied things up quickly with Yamada's 6-2, 6-1 win over Blake Croyder at No. 4 singles.
Zink continued his strong singles play of late, posting a 6-3, 6-2 win over Alan Rubio at No. 2 singles, to put the Bulldogs back in front, 2-1. The Georgia sophomore also played very well in Friday's 4-3 loss to Wake Forest, beating Taha Baadi, 6-3, 6-4.
The Knights (8-3) tied the match 2-2 with a win at No. 1, where DeCamps took down Bryde, 6-1, 6-3. Rowe pushed the Bulldogs back into the lead at No. 5, rallying past Hilderbrand to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. At 4-4 in the third, Rowe got the break of serve at love and then closed out the win, putting Georgia up 3-2 with two matches remaining.
Grassi Mazzuchi was in control of the match for a long time, leading 6-2, 5-2. Henning was only down one break of serve in the second set, but as Diaz said, "it seemed like a big mountain to climb." Henning won three straight games to draw even and later was the steadier player in the tiebreaker, forcing the third set. Leading 2-1 in the third set, Henning got a break with some strong shots of his own and some UCF misses, and then surged to the win the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs return to SEC play next weekend when they host No. 22 Kentucky and Vanderbilt. For more information on the Bulldogs, visit Georgiadogs.com. You can also get updates on the team on Twitter (@UGATennis) and Instagram (@ugatennis).
Results
No. 17 Georgia 4, No. 21 UCF 2
Doubles
1. Trent Bryde/Tyler Zink (UGA) def Gabriel DeCamps/Trey Hilderbrand (UCF), 6-3
2. Philip Henning/Erik Grevelius (UGA) vs. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi/Bogdan Pavel (UCF), 4-5 (unfinished)
3. Philip Henning/Erik Grevelius (UGA) def. Mikhail Sokolovskiy/Kento Yamada (UCF), 6-4
Singles
1. Gabriel DeCamps (UCF) def. Trent Bryde (UGA), 6-1, 6-3
2. Tyler Zink (UGA) def. Alan Rubio (UCF), 6-3, 6-2
3. Philip Henning (UGA) def. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (UCF), 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
4. Kento Yamada (UCF) def. Blake Croyder (UGA), 6-2, 6-1
5. Billy Rowe (UGA) def. Trey Hilderbrand (UCF), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Erik Grevelius (UGA) vs. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (UCF), 6-7 (7-4), 6-6 (unfinished)
Order of Finish
Doubles: 1, 3
Singles: 4, 2, 1, 5, 3
Henning's three-set victory, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, over Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi at No. 3 singles, two days after coming up short in a clinching opportunity against No. 13 Wake Forest on Friday, lifted the Bulldogs to a 4-2 win.
"I'm proud of the boys. I think they put up a great fight and showed a lot of heart in all areas," said Henning, who clinched 7-6 in the third last Sunday at Auburn but lost the third set 6-2 in the deciding match Friday. "For me, personally, I'm happy to get a win. It means a lot for me for my confidence because Friday was not the best or greatest feeling out there, but I came back today and showed my heart."
It was a day of key singles rallies for the Bulldogs at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Georgia won the doubles point but UCF then came out and took the first set in five of the six singles matches. Before Henning mounted his comeback, Billy Rowe at No. 5 singles came back after dropping the first set against Trey Hilderbrand (UCF), putting Georgia ahead 3-2.
"Just a tremendous effort by our team," Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz said. "Honestly, if I was betting man, I wouldn't have bet much that we had a shot at it. To say that our backs were against the wall would be an understatement. I'm really, really proud of our guys for how they fought and how they kept believing."
The Bulldogs (9-5) took the early lead in the doubles at No. 1, where Trent Bryde and Tyler Zink were taking on Gabriel DeCamps and Hilderbrand. At 2-2, Georgia had a break point at 40-all and Zink hit a return winner down the middle. Zink and Bryde then closed out the set, 6-3.
Georgia clinched the doubles point at No. 3, where Henning and Erik Grevelius defeated Mikhail Sokolovskiy and Kento Yamada, 6-4. The teams traded breaks of serve in the middle of the set and then with the Bulldogs up 5-4, Henning and Grevelius were able to get a break to clinch the set and the point for Georgia.
UCF, which is coached by John Roddick, a former Georgia All-American (1995-99) and Diaz's assistant coach on the 2001 national championship team, tied things up quickly with Yamada's 6-2, 6-1 win over Blake Croyder at No. 4 singles.
Zink continued his strong singles play of late, posting a 6-3, 6-2 win over Alan Rubio at No. 2 singles, to put the Bulldogs back in front, 2-1. The Georgia sophomore also played very well in Friday's 4-3 loss to Wake Forest, beating Taha Baadi, 6-3, 6-4.
The Knights (8-3) tied the match 2-2 with a win at No. 1, where DeCamps took down Bryde, 6-1, 6-3. Rowe pushed the Bulldogs back into the lead at No. 5, rallying past Hilderbrand to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. At 4-4 in the third, Rowe got the break of serve at love and then closed out the win, putting Georgia up 3-2 with two matches remaining.
Grassi Mazzuchi was in control of the match for a long time, leading 6-2, 5-2. Henning was only down one break of serve in the second set, but as Diaz said, "it seemed like a big mountain to climb." Henning won three straight games to draw even and later was the steadier player in the tiebreaker, forcing the third set. Leading 2-1 in the third set, Henning got a break with some strong shots of his own and some UCF misses, and then surged to the win the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs return to SEC play next weekend when they host No. 22 Kentucky and Vanderbilt. For more information on the Bulldogs, visit Georgiadogs.com. You can also get updates on the team on Twitter (@UGATennis) and Instagram (@ugatennis).
Results
No. 17 Georgia 4, No. 21 UCF 2
Doubles
1. Trent Bryde/Tyler Zink (UGA) def Gabriel DeCamps/Trey Hilderbrand (UCF), 6-3
2. Philip Henning/Erik Grevelius (UGA) vs. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi/Bogdan Pavel (UCF), 4-5 (unfinished)
3. Philip Henning/Erik Grevelius (UGA) def. Mikhail Sokolovskiy/Kento Yamada (UCF), 6-4
Singles
1. Gabriel DeCamps (UCF) def. Trent Bryde (UGA), 6-1, 6-3
2. Tyler Zink (UGA) def. Alan Rubio (UCF), 6-3, 6-2
3. Philip Henning (UGA) def. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (UCF), 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
4. Kento Yamada (UCF) def. Blake Croyder (UGA), 6-2, 6-1
5. Billy Rowe (UGA) def. Trey Hilderbrand (UCF), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Erik Grevelius (UGA) vs. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (UCF), 6-7 (7-4), 6-6 (unfinished)
Order of Finish
Doubles: 1, 3
Singles: 4, 2, 1, 5, 3
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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