Bulldogs Battle Past Wildcats In Top-10 Matchup

Friday, March 31

Athens, Ga.

5 p.m.

University of Georgia

Kentucky

March 31, 2023 | Men's Tennis

Box Score vs. Kentucky

ATHENS, Ga. — In a heavyweight, top-10 matchup on Friday, with first place in the SEC men's tennis standings on the line, No. 8-ranked Georgia, playing in front of a large and boisterous crown, came through with a 5-2 win over No. 4 Kentucky.

The Bulldogs (13-5, 7-0 SEC) clinched the victory at 4-0 before the remaining matches were played to completion. Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn, ranked No. 4 in the country, earned the deciding victory with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) win over No. 22-ranked Liam Draxl at the No. 1 singles spot.

Playing in front of a crowd of 2,472 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, the largest to see a match since the new grandstand was completed in 2020, certainly got Quinn's attention. Among the crowd during the doubles action were a few dozen Georgia football players, still dressed in their practice jerseys, and head coach Kirby Smart.

"I just had chills throughout my bones," Quinn said. "Right as the football players got here, you could hear the people in the crowd whispering, and even the football guys, during the points they were yelling, going back and forth.

"Honestly, it was just crazy. My body was shaking, and I remember on one of our set points or when we were down a match point, I was shaking at the net because I could feel the energy throughout the crowd. It was just unbelievable."

While Georgia sealed the win at 4-0, very little came easily against Kentucky (19-3, 7-2), which advanced to the finals of last year's NCAA Championships. All told, eight sets went to tiebreakers, with the Bulldogs winning five, including two in doubles to clinch the point and get out to a 1-0 lead.

"That's what we've been emphasizing: mental toughness," Georgia coach Manuel Diaz said. "That Georgia tennis mentality that when things are tough, that's when we're at our best. And I think today we passed with flying colors."

The doubles matches were tight from the start, with all three even at 3-all at one point. Kentucky's team of JJ Mercer and Joshua Lapadat got a break of serve and pulled out a 6-3 win over Teodor Giusca and Philip Henning at the No. 2 spot.

At No. 1 doubles, Georgia's No. 9-ranked team of Quinn and Trent Bryde won a duel with Kentucky's No. 25-ranked Alafia Ayeni and Taha Vaadi, 8-6 in the tiebreaker. Match point was a thriller with all four players trading volleys at the net before Quinn finished it off with a winner.

Blake Croyder and Britton Johnston, playing at No. 3, fought off three match points at 5-6 to force the tiebreaker against Draxl and Jaden Weekes. It was all Bulldogs after that, with Johnston and Croyder storming to a 7-2 win in the tiebreaker to capture the doubles point.

In singles, Henning put Georgia ahead 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ayeni at the No. 2 spot. The next match didn't end for more than another hour. Croyder finally made it 3-0 Bulldogs with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win over Vaadi. Then it was Quinn's turn, closing out his neck-and-neck win over Draxl.

"Kentucky's a great team, and they showed that, especially in doubles. They had set points on two courts (1 and 3), so for us to sneak that out was pretty impressive," Quinn said. "And then for us to be able to battle on basically every court; Phil did a great job to give us early momentum and then for everyone else to be able to battle through and compete was honestly amazing."

Georgia's other singles win came at No. 6, where Miguel Perez Peña edged Charlelie Cosnet, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Kentucky's Lapadat held off Bryde at No. 3 singles, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5), and Weekes beat Giusca, 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, at No. 5.

"It wasn't going to be an easy match," Diaz said. "Kentucky's a great team, I have a lot of respect for their program, the finalists in the NCAAs last year, and honestly, our guys had to come out and play their best."

The Bulldogs improved their all-time record against Kentucky to 49-11 with the win. They're back in action on Sunday when they play at Arkansas. Georgia is 34-3 all-time against the Razorbacks.

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. 8 Georgia 5, No. 4 Kentucky 2

Doubles

1. #9 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #25 Alafia Ayeni/Taha Vaadi (UK), 7-6 (8-6)

2. #38 JJ Mercer/Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning (UGA), 6-3

3. Britton Johnston/Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Liam Draxl/Jaden Weekes (UK), 7-6 (7-2)

Singles

1. #4 Ethan Quinn (UGA) def. #22 Liam Draxl, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6, (7-2)

2. Philip Henning (UGA) def. #27 Alafia Ayeni (UK), 6-4, 6-3

3. #44 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Trent Bryde (UGA), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)

4. Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Taha Vaadi (UK), 6-2, 5-7, 6-3

5. Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Teodor Giusca (UGA), 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (7-3), 6-4