Thrilling Comeback Leads Bulldogs Past Vols

Saturday, March 18

Athens, Ga.

1 p.m.

University of Georgia

Tennessee

March 18, 2023 | Men's Tennis

Box Score vs. Tennessee

ATHENS, Ga. — Philip Henning looked exhausted. Trent Bryde looked a bit dumbstruck. Their Georgia teammates, meanwhile, were throwing hugs and high-fives around to everyone they could find.

At the end of a tight, scintillating match at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, No. 10 Georgia overcame multiple team match points against it and rallied for a 4-3 win over No. 18 Tennessee on Saturday. Fifth-year Bulldogs Bryde and Henning provided the final two victories, both coming from behind to win in three sets.

With the team score tied 3-3, the No. 15-ranked Henning fought off three match points against Tennessee's Emile Hudd and provided the clinching win, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), at No. 2 singles.

"It's obviously an awesome feeling. I was in a bit of disbelief after the match, honestly," Henning said.

For Bryde, his match at No. 3 against Blaise Bicknell, a dig-deep 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 win, will stay with him for a long time.

"That was one of the most memorable moments of my life," he said. "I still don't even know what just happened. Just so many emotions."

Coach Manuel Diaz, who has been a part of matches at Georgia's courts since he was an All-American for the Bulldogs in the early 1970s, said the environment at Saturday's match — with hundreds of spirited fans roaring and about 30 former Bulldogs on hand for lettermen's weekend — was as good as he's ever seen outside of the NCAA tournament.

"That was a tremendous atmosphere, and we owe a lot to our fans," said Diaz, whose Bulldogs (11-5, 5-0 SEC), winners of six straight matches, remained undefeated in conference play and atop the standings.

Tennessee (12-6, 3-2) took the early lead in the match by winning the doubles point. Georgia's Bryde and Ethan Quinn, the No. 11-ranked team in the country, beat UT's fourth-ranked team of Pat Harper and Johannus Monday at No. 1, 6-3. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Volunteers prevailed in the other two matches to capture the point.

At No. 2, Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui got a break of serve at 4-all and closed out a 6-4 win over Georgia's Teodor Giusca and Henning. The point came down to the match at No. 3, where UT's Angel Diaz and Martim Prata edged the Bulldogs' Blake Croyder and Britton Johnston, 6-4.

In singles, Tennessee won the first set on courts 1-3 while Georgia won the first at 4-6. The Vols went up 2-0 after Monday's 6-2, 6-2 win over Quinn at No. 1. Miguel Perez Peña got Georgia on the scoreboard at No. 6, beating Harper 6-2, 7-5 to make it 2-1. And then the drama really kicked in.

Tennessee pulled ahead 3-1 with a win at No. 4, where Mitsui rallied for a three-set win over Croyder, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Giusca made it 3-2 with a hard-fought win at No. 5. Another fifth-year player, he served for the match in the second set against Angel Diaz, wound up going to a tiebreaker, and then closed out a 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) victory.

"We lost our momentum on 5 (in Giusca's match), but just played a great tiebreaker to win that," Manuel Diaz said.

That left the matches at Nos. 2 and 3 to decide the result. At No. 3, Bryde did everything he could to keep Bicknell off balance, even serving and volleying at times, and came through with one clutch point after another down the stretch.

"Trent just did a tremendous job making adjustments after the first set," Diaz said. "And it wasn't comfortable for him, but he did a tremendous job of doing the uncomfortable and earning a win there."

Bryde's win tied the score 3-3, and moments later, with the deciding match tied 6-6 in the third-set tiebreaker, Henning won the final two points to clinch the win and set off a big Bulldog celebration. He said all of his experience in moments like that "definitely helps."

"I've been in that situation before," he said. "Being a veteran definitely helps because you can use your experience and your past experiences to know what you can do in those moments — just believe in yourself and trust yourself to do the right thing at the right time."

With the win, Georgia improved its record to 58-28 all-time against the Volunteers. The Bulldogs return to action next Friday against LSU in Baton Rouge.

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

Results

No. 10 Georgia 4, No. 18 Tennessee 3

Doubles

1. #11 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #4 Pat Harper/Johannus Monday (UT), 6-3

2. 50 Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning (UGA), 6-4

3. Angel Diaz/Martim Prata (UT) def. Britton Johnston/Blake Croyder (UGA), 6-4

Singles

1. #7 Johannus Monday (UT) def. #2 Ethan Quinn (UGA), 6-2, 6-2

2. #15 Philip Henning (UGA) def. #62 Emile Hudd (UT), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)

3. Trent Bryde (UGA) def. Blaise Bicknell (UT), 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3

4. #120 Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. #90 Blake Croyder (UGA), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

5. #101 Teodor Giusca (UGA) def. Angel Diaz (UT), 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2)