University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, February 17
Chicago, Ill.
10 a.m. ET
University of Georgia
4
vs
3
South Carolina
Bryde Clinches Georgia’s Spot in ITA Indoors Quarterfinals
February 17, 2023 | Men's Tennis
CHICAGO – Fifth-year senior Trent Bryde delivered a match-clinching victory to help the No. 11 seed Georgia men's tennis team erase a 3-1 deficit en route to a 4-3 win against No. 6 seed South Carolina on Friday. The Bulldogs advance to the quarterfinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships at the XS Tennis Village.
The Bulldogs will face No. 3 seed TCU Saturday at 10 a.m. ET for a spot in the semifinals.
Despite South Carolina (8-1) winning the doubles point, Georgia (5-4) won four singles matches on courts three, four, five and six to advance to its first quarterfinals since 2018. Bryde earned his third match-clinching win of the season with a three-set victory over the Gamecocks' No. 67 Raphael Lambling.
"It was a gutsy performance by our guys," said head coach Manny Diaz. "South Carolina played incredibly well in doubles and made it tough on us, but our guys bounced back with a tremendous effort in singles. Miguel [Perez Peña] did a fantastic job at six to win his match so quickly, and Trent [Bryde], Teodor [Giusca] and Blake [Croyder] had all won first sets, which gave us a lot of hope. Our guys showed tremendous poise and composure. All the credit to Trent at the end there to stay positive after losing the second set. He played incredible tennis and stayed very calm to close it out. I love seeing him come through for us in these last few matches - it's great to see him become the leader of this team here lately."
The Gamecocks opened the match with a 1-0 lead after narrowly defeating the Bulldogs in doubles competition. After starting down in the match, 4-1, No. 24 Bryde and Quinn held serve twice and broke third-ranked Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson to tie the match 4-all but would go on to lose the match.
Both matches on courts two and three went into tiebreakers, with Teodor Giusca and Henning unable to extend the match, falling to No. 30 Jake Beasley and James Story, 7-6(2). With South Carolina clinching the point, Croyder and Johnston's match remained unfinished.
Down 1-0, Georgia responded by earning four first sets in singles competition to put pressure on South Carolina.
Perez Peña swiftly tied the match up after earning a dominant singles victory on court six. The sophomore won 68% of the total points in his match against Beasley to earn a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set win, his 15th of the year.
South Carolina would earn match point with wins on courts one and two. Both No. 5 Quinn and No. 8 Henning would lose in straight sets, which gave the Gamecocks a 3-1 match lead.
Giusca picked up his first win on court five this season after beating Casey Hoole by a 6-3, 7-6(4) result. The Bucharest, Romania native saved five break points throughout the match to win. No. 62 Croyder followed shortly thereafter, picking up his 15th win of the year with a 6-3, 7-6(5) result over Story. The redshirt senior clinched his match with a running forehand return that went just over the top and out of reach from Story.
With the match on the line, Bryde went into a third set against No. 67 Lambling. Each side held serve for the first seven games as Bryde took a 5-3 lead in the set and served for the match. The Suwannee native used his fourth ace of the day to notch his 13th win of the year and his sixth in the last eight matches.
"This win means a lot," said Bryde. "To get a win against a tough South Carolina team in this tournament means a lot to us, especially with it being the last semester for a lot of the guys on the team. You could just see on everyone's faces that we were all just beyond thrilled."
Georgia holds an 8-1 record against its upcoming opponent TCU, with the last match between the squads coming at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in 2012 — a 7-0 Georgia win. The Horned Frogs are the reigning Indoor National Champions, having won the event in Seattle in 2022.
"We've got a big challenge tomorrow against one of the top teams in the country who won this tournament last year," said Coach Diaz. "This will be a great test for our guys, and we look forward to the challenge."
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on Twitter and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.
Singles competition
1. #11 Toby Samuel (SC) def. #5 Ethan Quinn (UGA) 6-3, 6-2
2. #12 Connor Thomson (SC) def. #8 Philip Henning (UGA) 6-2, 6-3
3. #87 Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #67 Raphael Lambling (SC) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
4. #62 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. James Story (SC) 6-3, 7-6(5)
5. Teodor Giusca (UGA) def. Casey Hoole (SC) 6-3, 7-6(4)
6. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) def. Jake Beasley (SC) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 1, 2, 5, 4, 3*
Doubles competition
1. #3 Toby Samuel/Connor Thomson (SC) def. #24 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) 6-4
2. #30 Jake Beasley/James Story (SC) def. Philip Henning/Teodor Giusca (UGA) 7-6(2)
3. Casey Hoole/Raphael Lambling (SC) vs. Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) 6-6(5-4), uf
Order of finish: 1, 2*
The Bulldogs will face No. 3 seed TCU Saturday at 10 a.m. ET for a spot in the semifinals.
Despite South Carolina (8-1) winning the doubles point, Georgia (5-4) won four singles matches on courts three, four, five and six to advance to its first quarterfinals since 2018. Bryde earned his third match-clinching win of the season with a three-set victory over the Gamecocks' No. 67 Raphael Lambling.
"It was a gutsy performance by our guys," said head coach Manny Diaz. "South Carolina played incredibly well in doubles and made it tough on us, but our guys bounced back with a tremendous effort in singles. Miguel [Perez Peña] did a fantastic job at six to win his match so quickly, and Trent [Bryde], Teodor [Giusca] and Blake [Croyder] had all won first sets, which gave us a lot of hope. Our guys showed tremendous poise and composure. All the credit to Trent at the end there to stay positive after losing the second set. He played incredible tennis and stayed very calm to close it out. I love seeing him come through for us in these last few matches - it's great to see him become the leader of this team here lately."
The Gamecocks opened the match with a 1-0 lead after narrowly defeating the Bulldogs in doubles competition. After starting down in the match, 4-1, No. 24 Bryde and Quinn held serve twice and broke third-ranked Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson to tie the match 4-all but would go on to lose the match.
Both matches on courts two and three went into tiebreakers, with Teodor Giusca and Henning unable to extend the match, falling to No. 30 Jake Beasley and James Story, 7-6(2). With South Carolina clinching the point, Croyder and Johnston's match remained unfinished.
Down 1-0, Georgia responded by earning four first sets in singles competition to put pressure on South Carolina.
Perez Peña swiftly tied the match up after earning a dominant singles victory on court six. The sophomore won 68% of the total points in his match against Beasley to earn a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set win, his 15th of the year.
South Carolina would earn match point with wins on courts one and two. Both No. 5 Quinn and No. 8 Henning would lose in straight sets, which gave the Gamecocks a 3-1 match lead.
Giusca picked up his first win on court five this season after beating Casey Hoole by a 6-3, 7-6(4) result. The Bucharest, Romania native saved five break points throughout the match to win. No. 62 Croyder followed shortly thereafter, picking up his 15th win of the year with a 6-3, 7-6(5) result over Story. The redshirt senior clinched his match with a running forehand return that went just over the top and out of reach from Story.
With the match on the line, Bryde went into a third set against No. 67 Lambling. Each side held serve for the first seven games as Bryde took a 5-3 lead in the set and served for the match. The Suwannee native used his fourth ace of the day to notch his 13th win of the year and his sixth in the last eight matches.
"This win means a lot," said Bryde. "To get a win against a tough South Carolina team in this tournament means a lot to us, especially with it being the last semester for a lot of the guys on the team. You could just see on everyone's faces that we were all just beyond thrilled."
Georgia holds an 8-1 record against its upcoming opponent TCU, with the last match between the squads coming at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in 2012 — a 7-0 Georgia win. The Horned Frogs are the reigning Indoor National Champions, having won the event in Seattle in 2022.
"We've got a big challenge tomorrow against one of the top teams in the country who won this tournament last year," said Coach Diaz. "This will be a great test for our guys, and we look forward to the challenge."
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on Twitter and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.
Singles competition
1. #11 Toby Samuel (SC) def. #5 Ethan Quinn (UGA) 6-3, 6-2
2. #12 Connor Thomson (SC) def. #8 Philip Henning (UGA) 6-2, 6-3
3. #87 Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #67 Raphael Lambling (SC) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
4. #62 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. James Story (SC) 6-3, 7-6(5)
5. Teodor Giusca (UGA) def. Casey Hoole (SC) 6-3, 7-6(4)
6. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) def. Jake Beasley (SC) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 1, 2, 5, 4, 3*
Doubles competition
1. #3 Toby Samuel/Connor Thomson (SC) def. #24 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) 6-4
2. #30 Jake Beasley/James Story (SC) def. Philip Henning/Teodor Giusca (UGA) 7-6(2)
3. Casey Hoole/Raphael Lambling (SC) vs. Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) 6-6(5-4), uf
Order of finish: 1, 2*
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
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