University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, March 31
Athens, Ga.
5 p.m.
University of Georgia
vs
Kentucky
Georgia to Host Top-10 Showdown, Travel to Arkansas This Weekend
March 30, 2023 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. – The eighth-ranked University of Georgia men's tennis team will play in a pair of conference matches this weekend, starting with No. 4 Kentucky on Friday, March 31 at 5 p.m. inside the Dan Magill Tennis Complex and then traveling to Fayetteville to take on No. 59 Arkansas on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. ET at the Billingsley Tennis Complex.
#8 Georgia (12-5, 6-0 SEC) vs. #4 Kentucky (19-2, 7-1 SEC)
Date: March 31, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
#8 Georgia (12-5, 6-0 SEC) vs. #59 Arkansas (12-8, 0-6 SEC)
Date: April 2, 2023
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Fayetteville, Ark.
Venue: Billingsley Tennis Center
MEDIA INFORMATION
UGA Season Stats: https://gado.gs/9xb
Kentucky Season Stats: https://gado.gs/ac0
Arkansas Season Stats: https://gado.gs/abz
Live Stats + Video (vs. Kentucky): https://gado.gs/8mk
Live Stats (vs. Arkansas): https://gado.gs/aby
Live Video (vs. Arkansas): https://gado.gs/91e
Match Notes: https://gado.gs/ac6
SEC Crosscourt Cast by CrackedRacquets (Friday Only): https://gado.gs/ac7
Social Media
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 online at GeorgiaDogs.com.
QUICK HITS
Conference Play Continues
The Bulldogs continue Southeastern Conference action this week, beginning with a top 10 showdown against the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats at home on Friday at 5 p.m. and closing the weekend with a trip to Fayetteville to take on No. 59 Arkansas at the Billingsley Tennis Center on Sunday at 2 p.m.
As the top two teams in the SEC, Georgia and Kentucky will battle for the top spot in the conference standings. The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0 in conference matches, while the Wildcats are 7-1 with their lone loss coming by a 4-3 result to No. 6 South Carolina at home on March 2. With a win, Georgia would hold a two-match lead in the race for the SEC regular season championship.
In its last match, the Bulldogs defeated No. 51 LSU by a 5-2 result on the road. The team won the doubles point by winning on all three courts, and in singles courts one, two, three and six to claim its seventh-straight win. Georgia is 55-14 in the series against the Tigers since 1957 and has not lost to them since 2003.
The Bulldogs have played 13 ranked teams so far this season, going 9-4 in those matches, including five wins over top 25 teams. Georgia is one of three teams to finish in the top five of the SEC standings in each season since 2019 (Florida, Tennessee).
Diaz's Details
On hosting Kentucky in a battle between the top two teams in the SEC…
"It's just another big match, that's the way we're going to treat it. We've continuously told the team, every match you're playing for a championship, and Friday is no different. We don't want to make it any bigger because I'm sure that our energy and focus are going to be where it needs to be. It's going to be an important match, but we want to go out there and play loose, aggressively and assert ourselves as best we can because we know they're a good team and they will make us uncomfortable. That said, we are ready for them and this opportunity to play in front of our fans."
On traveling to Arkansas for the match against the Razorbacks…
"Everyone in this conference is good. Playing in Arkansas is always a huge challenge for us, it's typically in tough conditions and windy over there. It will be a huge challenge for us to get back up and play another peak match. In this conference, you can't take anybody for granted. You can't play anything below your best and succeed, so we're going to see where we are on Saturday and wrap it back up on Sunday."
On Miguel Perez Peña's improvement this season…
"Miguel is just so physical and now he's a lot more consistent. He's able to defend when he needs to, he's settling in and gained some maturity and he's playing smarter tennis. His physicality is a huge asset for him. He's going to have a big challenge on Friday and continue to have challenges every time he steps on the court. Right now, he's playing with a lot of confidence and that makes a big difference."
On Philip Henning and Trent Bryde's impressive start to conference play…
"They're doing a great job leading this team in many ways. I think that they both have worked very hard. This fifth year means so much to our seniors, that every time they step out on the court, they're making the most of it. They're playing very hard and now very experienced players and that's the biggest thing that they bring."
Dawgs in the Rankings
In the latest team rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Georgia again checks in as the No. 8 team in the country.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn is now No. 4 in the singles rankings and has won five of his previous six matches with a pair of match-clinching victories. The Fresno, Calif. native is the only freshman to have multiple wins on court one and one of three SEC players in the top five. With Henning now at No. 19, Georgia becomes one of five schools to have multiple players in the top 20 of the singles rankings.
Blake Croyder, the team's leader in singles wins with 19, moved to No. 99. With 95 career singles wins, the redshirt senior is eight away from entering the top 20 in program history. Teodor Giusca rounds out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at No. 116, appearing in the rankings for consecutive weeks for the first time this season. Giusca has won five of his previous six matches.
Trent Bryde and Quinn make up the top spot for Georgia in doubles and rose to the No. 9 pair in the country in the latest doubles poll. This is the highest the two have been ranked together, the first time that Bryde reaches the top 10 in doubles since 2021, and the career-best ranking in doubles for Quinn. The tandem has won seven matches this season on court one, including three point-clinching victories.
Sophomore Surge
With a singles record of 20-9, sophomore Miguel Perez Peña has already increased his win total by eight from last season, the highest on the team of any returning player. The Castellon de la Plana, Spain native currently leads the team in wins, going 10-5 in the fall and now 10-4 in the dual match season. Perez Peña has won seven of his last nine matches dating back to the team's 12th-straight win against Georgia Tech on Feb. 12, including a win on court five. With a 10-4 spring record, he ranks in the top three on the team in singles win percentage at .714 percent, just behind No. 17 Henning and Bryde, who are tied for the best at .733 percent.
Clutch Clinching
In the six conference matches Georgia has played in, five different players have earned the match-clinching win in singles: Bryde against Alabama and LSU, Quinn against Auburn, Croyder against Texas A&M, Thomas Paulsell, in his first dual match result of the season did so against Vanderbilt and Henning capped off the Bulldogs comeback against Tennessee. In total, five different players have earned the winning point for Georgia in singles: Bryde with five, Henning with three, Quinn with two and Croyder and Paulsell with one each.
Love, the Dawgs
The Bulldogs have been winning at a high rate in singles competition since Valentine's Day. In the team's last 10 matches, each player has a winning percentage above .500, with three different athletes currently riding at least a four-match win streak – Perez Peña (four), Bryde (five) and No. 17 Henning (six).
Since the start of conference play, Georgia has impressed on the top three courts. Since the team's 5-2 win at No. 58 Alabama, No. 4 Quinn, No. 17 Henning and Bryde are a combined 16-1 on courts one, two and three respectively.
Straight-Set Wins
Georgia has straight-set victories in 39 of the team's 58 dual-match singles wins, good for a clip of 67.2 percent of the team's singles wins. No. 90 Croyder leads the team, with seven of his eight wins coming in straight-set decisions. Of those 39 straight-set wins, 22 of them came in matches that were 6-4, 6-4 or better. Perez Peña leads the team in this statistic with six, No. 99 Croyder has five, No. 17 Henning and No. 4 Quinn have four each, No. 116 Giusca has two and Paulsell has one.
Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky enters the match against Georgia on a seven-match win streak in conference play after losing its first SEC match. The fourth-ranked Wildcats have played in numerous close matches this season, with eight of their matches coming in 4-3 decisions and going 7-1 in those instances.
The team is led on court one by No. 22 Liam Draxl, the 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Player of the Year. The senior is 14-3 on the top court and 7-3 against ranked opponents. No. 27 Alafia Ayeni is featured on court two and has gone 8-5 in 13 completed matches, including 11-6 overall in the spring season. Rounding out the ranked Wildcats is No. 44 Joshua Lapadat, who is 13-2 on court three and 16-3 overall in singles. The junior is 5-2 in ranked matches.
In doubles, Kentucky's top two tandems are both ranked. Ayeni and Taha Baadi make up the No. 25 team with an 8-4 record on court one, while on court two, No. 38 Lapadat and JJ Mercer are 6-2 and 10-3 overall. Both ranked doubles pairs are on a five-match win streak, while Draxl and Jaden Weekes have won six straight on court three.
Scouting the Razorbacks
In the first computerized team rankings this season, Arkansas debuted at No. 31 and is now at No. 59 in the latest poll released on Tuesday. Head coach Jay Udwadia has led the team to a 12-8 record in his first season leading his alma mater's program. While the Razorbacks have had no singles players ranked this year, Foster Rogers is riding a four-match win streak on court six entering the weekend. Their top doubles team Adrien Burdet and Melvin Manuel have appeared in the doubles rankings twice this season, at No. 60 on Nov. 16, 2022, and most recently at No. 75 on March 7.
Series History
Georgia vs. UK – UGA, 48-11
Georgia vs. Arkansas – UGA, 34-3
#8 Georgia (12-5, 6-0 SEC) vs. #4 Kentucky (19-2, 7-1 SEC)
Date: March 31, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
#8 Georgia (12-5, 6-0 SEC) vs. #59 Arkansas (12-8, 0-6 SEC)
Date: April 2, 2023
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Fayetteville, Ark.
Venue: Billingsley Tennis Center
MEDIA INFORMATION
UGA Season Stats: https://gado.gs/9xb
Kentucky Season Stats: https://gado.gs/ac0
Arkansas Season Stats: https://gado.gs/abz
Live Stats + Video (vs. Kentucky): https://gado.gs/8mk
Live Stats (vs. Arkansas): https://gado.gs/aby
Live Video (vs. Arkansas): https://gado.gs/91e
Match Notes: https://gado.gs/ac6
SEC Crosscourt Cast by CrackedRacquets (Friday Only): https://gado.gs/ac7
Social Media
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 online at GeorgiaDogs.com.
QUICK HITS
Conference Play Continues
The Bulldogs continue Southeastern Conference action this week, beginning with a top 10 showdown against the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats at home on Friday at 5 p.m. and closing the weekend with a trip to Fayetteville to take on No. 59 Arkansas at the Billingsley Tennis Center on Sunday at 2 p.m.
As the top two teams in the SEC, Georgia and Kentucky will battle for the top spot in the conference standings. The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0 in conference matches, while the Wildcats are 7-1 with their lone loss coming by a 4-3 result to No. 6 South Carolina at home on March 2. With a win, Georgia would hold a two-match lead in the race for the SEC regular season championship.
In its last match, the Bulldogs defeated No. 51 LSU by a 5-2 result on the road. The team won the doubles point by winning on all three courts, and in singles courts one, two, three and six to claim its seventh-straight win. Georgia is 55-14 in the series against the Tigers since 1957 and has not lost to them since 2003.
The Bulldogs have played 13 ranked teams so far this season, going 9-4 in those matches, including five wins over top 25 teams. Georgia is one of three teams to finish in the top five of the SEC standings in each season since 2019 (Florida, Tennessee).
Diaz's Details
On hosting Kentucky in a battle between the top two teams in the SEC…
"It's just another big match, that's the way we're going to treat it. We've continuously told the team, every match you're playing for a championship, and Friday is no different. We don't want to make it any bigger because I'm sure that our energy and focus are going to be where it needs to be. It's going to be an important match, but we want to go out there and play loose, aggressively and assert ourselves as best we can because we know they're a good team and they will make us uncomfortable. That said, we are ready for them and this opportunity to play in front of our fans."
On traveling to Arkansas for the match against the Razorbacks…
"Everyone in this conference is good. Playing in Arkansas is always a huge challenge for us, it's typically in tough conditions and windy over there. It will be a huge challenge for us to get back up and play another peak match. In this conference, you can't take anybody for granted. You can't play anything below your best and succeed, so we're going to see where we are on Saturday and wrap it back up on Sunday."
On Miguel Perez Peña's improvement this season…
"Miguel is just so physical and now he's a lot more consistent. He's able to defend when he needs to, he's settling in and gained some maturity and he's playing smarter tennis. His physicality is a huge asset for him. He's going to have a big challenge on Friday and continue to have challenges every time he steps on the court. Right now, he's playing with a lot of confidence and that makes a big difference."
On Philip Henning and Trent Bryde's impressive start to conference play…
"They're doing a great job leading this team in many ways. I think that they both have worked very hard. This fifth year means so much to our seniors, that every time they step out on the court, they're making the most of it. They're playing very hard and now very experienced players and that's the biggest thing that they bring."
Dawgs in the Rankings
In the latest team rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Georgia again checks in as the No. 8 team in the country.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn is now No. 4 in the singles rankings and has won five of his previous six matches with a pair of match-clinching victories. The Fresno, Calif. native is the only freshman to have multiple wins on court one and one of three SEC players in the top five. With Henning now at No. 19, Georgia becomes one of five schools to have multiple players in the top 20 of the singles rankings.
Blake Croyder, the team's leader in singles wins with 19, moved to No. 99. With 95 career singles wins, the redshirt senior is eight away from entering the top 20 in program history. Teodor Giusca rounds out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at No. 116, appearing in the rankings for consecutive weeks for the first time this season. Giusca has won five of his previous six matches.
Trent Bryde and Quinn make up the top spot for Georgia in doubles and rose to the No. 9 pair in the country in the latest doubles poll. This is the highest the two have been ranked together, the first time that Bryde reaches the top 10 in doubles since 2021, and the career-best ranking in doubles for Quinn. The tandem has won seven matches this season on court one, including three point-clinching victories.
Sophomore Surge
With a singles record of 20-9, sophomore Miguel Perez Peña has already increased his win total by eight from last season, the highest on the team of any returning player. The Castellon de la Plana, Spain native currently leads the team in wins, going 10-5 in the fall and now 10-4 in the dual match season. Perez Peña has won seven of his last nine matches dating back to the team's 12th-straight win against Georgia Tech on Feb. 12, including a win on court five. With a 10-4 spring record, he ranks in the top three on the team in singles win percentage at .714 percent, just behind No. 17 Henning and Bryde, who are tied for the best at .733 percent.
Clutch Clinching
In the six conference matches Georgia has played in, five different players have earned the match-clinching win in singles: Bryde against Alabama and LSU, Quinn against Auburn, Croyder against Texas A&M, Thomas Paulsell, in his first dual match result of the season did so against Vanderbilt and Henning capped off the Bulldogs comeback against Tennessee. In total, five different players have earned the winning point for Georgia in singles: Bryde with five, Henning with three, Quinn with two and Croyder and Paulsell with one each.
Love, the Dawgs
The Bulldogs have been winning at a high rate in singles competition since Valentine's Day. In the team's last 10 matches, each player has a winning percentage above .500, with three different athletes currently riding at least a four-match win streak – Perez Peña (four), Bryde (five) and No. 17 Henning (six).
Since the start of conference play, Georgia has impressed on the top three courts. Since the team's 5-2 win at No. 58 Alabama, No. 4 Quinn, No. 17 Henning and Bryde are a combined 16-1 on courts one, two and three respectively.
Straight-Set Wins
Georgia has straight-set victories in 39 of the team's 58 dual-match singles wins, good for a clip of 67.2 percent of the team's singles wins. No. 90 Croyder leads the team, with seven of his eight wins coming in straight-set decisions. Of those 39 straight-set wins, 22 of them came in matches that were 6-4, 6-4 or better. Perez Peña leads the team in this statistic with six, No. 99 Croyder has five, No. 17 Henning and No. 4 Quinn have four each, No. 116 Giusca has two and Paulsell has one.
Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky enters the match against Georgia on a seven-match win streak in conference play after losing its first SEC match. The fourth-ranked Wildcats have played in numerous close matches this season, with eight of their matches coming in 4-3 decisions and going 7-1 in those instances.
The team is led on court one by No. 22 Liam Draxl, the 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Player of the Year. The senior is 14-3 on the top court and 7-3 against ranked opponents. No. 27 Alafia Ayeni is featured on court two and has gone 8-5 in 13 completed matches, including 11-6 overall in the spring season. Rounding out the ranked Wildcats is No. 44 Joshua Lapadat, who is 13-2 on court three and 16-3 overall in singles. The junior is 5-2 in ranked matches.
In doubles, Kentucky's top two tandems are both ranked. Ayeni and Taha Baadi make up the No. 25 team with an 8-4 record on court one, while on court two, No. 38 Lapadat and JJ Mercer are 6-2 and 10-3 overall. Both ranked doubles pairs are on a five-match win streak, while Draxl and Jaden Weekes have won six straight on court three.
Scouting the Razorbacks
In the first computerized team rankings this season, Arkansas debuted at No. 31 and is now at No. 59 in the latest poll released on Tuesday. Head coach Jay Udwadia has led the team to a 12-8 record in his first season leading his alma mater's program. While the Razorbacks have had no singles players ranked this year, Foster Rogers is riding a four-match win streak on court six entering the weekend. Their top doubles team Adrien Burdet and Melvin Manuel have appeared in the doubles rankings twice this season, at No. 60 on Nov. 16, 2022, and most recently at No. 75 on March 7.
Series History
Georgia vs. UK – UGA, 48-11
- Last five meetings:
- April 10, 2022, in Lexington, Ky. – UK, 5-2
- March 26, 2021, in Athens – UGA, 4-3
- April 12, 2019, in Lexington, Ky. – UK, 5-2
- April 15, 2018, in Athens – UGA, 4-3
- March 5, 2017, in Lexington, Ky. – UGA, 4-3
Georgia vs. Arkansas – UGA, 34-3
- Last five meetings:
- March 18, 2022, in Athens – UGA, 4-1
- April 2, 2021, in Fayetteville, Ark. – UGA, 6-1
- April 18, 2019, in Gainesville, Fla. (SEC Tournament) – UGA, 4-0
- April 7, 2019, in Athens – UGA, 6-1
- April 26, 2018, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (SEC Tournament) – UGA, 4-2
Players Mentioned
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