Bulldogs Earn Six Wins On SIC Day One

Friday, September 16

Athens, Ga.

2:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Texas

Photo by: Ryan Luparello

September 16, 2022 | Men's Tennis

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia and Texas men's tennis teams battled for five hours on Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, playing tight, high-level matches on Day 1 of the 55th Southern Intercollegiate Championships.

When the 12 matches were completed, the Bulldogs and Longhorns each finished with six wins: two in doubles and four in singles. How tight was the tennis? Six of the eight singles matches weren't decided after two sets, and a total of seven tiebreakers were played

"There was a lot of very good tennis, and at the same time, some of it we can improve upon — a lot of things we can improve upon," Georgia's Manuel Diaz, who is in his 34th season as head coach.

The three-day event features players from four powerhouse programs: Georgia, Texas, Virginia and Southern California. Those four schools have won a combined 33 NCAA team titles, including Texas in 2019 and Virginia last spring. Virginia and Southern Cal went at it in the early session, with the Cavaliers prevailing in six of the nine matches they played.

Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn, fresh off playing in the singles qualifying and the doubles main draw — he won a match in each — at the U.S. Open earlier this month, made his debut appearance for the Bulldogs on Friday. First, he won with fifth-year senior Trent Bryde in doubles, followed by a tough singles win against the 35th-ranked Eliot Spizzirri.

Georgia and Texas played four doubles matches. each an 8-game pro-set, with both schools earning two wins. The Bulldogs picked up their first win in dramatic fashion, with Quinn ripping a forehand winner return on match point in a tiebreaker. Quinn and Bryde defeated the 16th-ranked team of Spizzirri and Cleeve Harper, 8-7, winning the tiebreaker 7-5. Georgia's other win also came in a tiebreaker, with Britton Johnston and Blake Croyder defeating Siem Woldeab and Eshan Talluri, 8-7 (7-4), following Croyder's volley winner on match point.

Texas' pair of Evin McDonald and Nevin Arimilli defeated Georgia's Thomas Paulsell and Miguel Perez Peña, 8-1. Another Texas twosome, Chih Chi Huang and Micah Braswell, beat a pair of Bulldog newcomers, transfers Teodor Giusca and Filipe Costa, 8-2.

In singles, Croyder put on a great display of shotmaking in his 7-5, 6-1 win over Harper, hitting winners from all over the court. Croyder finished up quickly, and it was more than an hour before another match was completed. with five of the first six matches going three sets.

Texas' 16th-ranked Braswell won a three-set battle with the 73rd-ranked Bryde, coming back to win 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-2, for the Longhorns' first singles win. Moments later, Quinn picked up his first singles victory as a Bulldog, defeating Spizzirri in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

For Quinn, who joined Georgia last spring but didn't play, he said it felt great to finally compete in the red and black.

"It was awesome. My parents were here, as well, so that was pretty special for them to be here for my first matches," he said. "And to get in singles and doubles my first wins on the same day was pretty cool."

Georgia also picked up three-set singles wins from sophomores Peña and Paulsell. Peña defeated Huang 6-2, 6-7 (0), 6-3, while Paulsell knocked off Arimilli 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2. Play resumes Saturday with Virginia and Texas playing at 10 a.m., followed by Georgia and USC at 2 p.m.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs here on georgiadogs.com or by following the team on Twitter (@UGATennis) and Instagram (@ugatennis).

Results
55th Southern Intercollegiate Championships
Georgia vs. Texas
(This is a singles and doubles tournament with no team score)

Doubles
1. Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #16 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (Texas), 8-7 (5)
2. Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) def. Siem Woldeab/Eshan Talluri (Texas) 8-7 (4)
3. Chih Chi Huang/Micah Braswell (Texas) def. Teodor Giusca/Filipe Costa (UGA), 8-2
4. Evin McDonald/Nevin Arimilli (Texas) def. Thomas Paulsell/Miguel Perez Pena (UGA), 8-1

Singles
1. Ethan Quinn (UGA) def. #35 Eliot Spizzirri (Texas), 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
2.#16 Micah Braswell (Texas) def. #73 Trent Bryde (UGA), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2
3. #117 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Cleeve Harper (Texas), 7-5, 6-1
4. #98 Siem Woldeab (Texas) def. #93 Teodor Giusca (UGA), 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3
5. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) def. Chih Chi Huang (Texas), 6-2, 6-7 (0), 6-3
6. Thomas Paulsell (UGA) def. Nevin Arimilli (Texas), 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2
7. Evin McDonald (Texas) def. Filipe Costa (UGA), 6-2, 7-5
8. Eshan Talluri (Texas) def. Britton Johnston (UGA), 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (9)