University of Georgia Athletics
Sunday, April 9
Gainesville, FL
12 p.m.
University of Georgia
4
at
3
Florida
Georgia Wins 4-3 Thriller at Florida, Clinches Share of SEC Championship
April 09, 2023 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The seventh-ranked University of Georgia men's tennis team defeated No. 20 Florida, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, clinching at least a share of the Southeastern Conference Championship for the 32ndtime in program history.
Redshirt senior Blake Croyder earned the match-clinching win for the Bulldogs (16-5, 10-0 SEC), who have now won 11 consecutive matches and earned their first regular season conference title since 2017. Georgia won on courts one, two, three and four in singles to defeat the Gators (12-10, 5-5 SEC).
"Just a great, gutsy performance by our players," said head coach Manny Diaz. "It was a lot of heart that went into what these guys did today. Florida played a great match against us at home, but our guys impressed me so much with their fight, resolve and toughness. We really had an outstanding performance to start singles by Ethan and Trent to get us on the board, and the rest of the matches went three sets. This was an incredible show of force by our guys – I am so immensely proud of this group."
Florida earned the doubles point after taking wins on courts one and three. No. 7 Trent Bryde and Ethan Quinn were unable to find their footing and would drop the match to No. 10 Will Grant and Axel Nefve, 6-2. Giusca and Henning had an impressive performance on court two with a 6-2 win of their own, their 10th of the season together, and put the deciding match on court three. Croyder and Britton Johnston found themselves tied at 5-5 against Jonah Braswell and Lukas Greif, but dropped two-straight games, allowing the Gators to take the point in doubles competition for the 17th time in their 22 matches.
In singles, the Bulldogs quickly got on the board and took the lead, thanks to straight-set wins from No. 3 Quinn and Bryde. Redshirt freshman Quinn tied the match with his 15th win over a ranked opponent this year, defeating No. 81 Nefve by a 6-3, 6-2 score. Bryde improved to 12-5 in dual match action with his fifth ranked win of the year over No. 102 Braswell, winning by a 6-4, 6-1 result.
The remaining four courts all went into third sets to decide the winner. Florida would tie up the match after Tanapatt Nirundorn defeated Giusca on court six by a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 score. No. 13 Henning narrowly took the first set over No. 92 Grant and then dropped the second. Each side held serve in the third set, needing a tiebreaker to decide the match. The redshirt senior held serve on the final point to take the match by a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5) score and put the Bulldogs at match point.
No. 107 Croyder dropped the first set but managed to take the second in a back-and-forth breaker against Greif. The Marietta native earned his second match-clinching win of the season after he took the final set to win on court four with a pair of breakers, 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(6), clinching a share of the conference crown. The teams agreed to play out the remaining match on court five, where Miguel Perez Peña was in a breaker against Nate Bonetto. The sophomore lost his first match on court five this season in a 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(6) decision to Bonetto.
"For these guys, winning the conference championship means a heck of a lot and I am so proud of them," said Coach Diaz. "This past fall, when we had former players back at the alumni event, I introduced our team to the lettermen there. I asked everyone to raise their hand if they had won a championship ring during their time as a Bulldog, and every single player that was there raised their hand. Since 1971 and onward, everyone who played here for four years can say they won this conference. So, for our fifth-year seniors, it's been a huge goal for them, and this means a ton."
The Bulldogs will play their last two matches of the regular season at home this coming weekend, starting with No. 14 Mississippi State on Friday a 5 p.m. ET and then celebrating senior day against No. 29 Ole Miss on Sunday, April 16 at 1 p.m. Georgia will look to go undefeated in conference play for the first time since 2016 in its final home matches of the season.
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.
#7 Georgia 4, #20 Florida 3
Singles competition
1. #3 Ethan Quinn (UGA) def. #81 Axel Nefve (UF) 6-3, 6-2
2. #13 Philip Henning (UGA) def. #92 Will Grant (UF) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5)
3. Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #102 Jonah Braswell (UF) 6-4, 6-1
4. #107 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Lukas Greif (UF) 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(6)
5. Nate Bonetto (UF) def. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6(6)
6. Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) def. Teodor Giusca (UGA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 6, 2, 4*, 5
Doubles competition
1. #10 Will Grant/Axel Nefve (UF) def. #7 Trent Bryde/Ethan Quinn (UGA) 6-2
2. Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning (UGA) def. Nate Bonetto/Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-2
3. Jonah Braswell/Lukas Greif (UF) def. Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*
Redshirt senior Blake Croyder earned the match-clinching win for the Bulldogs (16-5, 10-0 SEC), who have now won 11 consecutive matches and earned their first regular season conference title since 2017. Georgia won on courts one, two, three and four in singles to defeat the Gators (12-10, 5-5 SEC).
"Just a great, gutsy performance by our players," said head coach Manny Diaz. "It was a lot of heart that went into what these guys did today. Florida played a great match against us at home, but our guys impressed me so much with their fight, resolve and toughness. We really had an outstanding performance to start singles by Ethan and Trent to get us on the board, and the rest of the matches went three sets. This was an incredible show of force by our guys – I am so immensely proud of this group."
Florida earned the doubles point after taking wins on courts one and three. No. 7 Trent Bryde and Ethan Quinn were unable to find their footing and would drop the match to No. 10 Will Grant and Axel Nefve, 6-2. Giusca and Henning had an impressive performance on court two with a 6-2 win of their own, their 10th of the season together, and put the deciding match on court three. Croyder and Britton Johnston found themselves tied at 5-5 against Jonah Braswell and Lukas Greif, but dropped two-straight games, allowing the Gators to take the point in doubles competition for the 17th time in their 22 matches.
In singles, the Bulldogs quickly got on the board and took the lead, thanks to straight-set wins from No. 3 Quinn and Bryde. Redshirt freshman Quinn tied the match with his 15th win over a ranked opponent this year, defeating No. 81 Nefve by a 6-3, 6-2 score. Bryde improved to 12-5 in dual match action with his fifth ranked win of the year over No. 102 Braswell, winning by a 6-4, 6-1 result.
The remaining four courts all went into third sets to decide the winner. Florida would tie up the match after Tanapatt Nirundorn defeated Giusca on court six by a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 score. No. 13 Henning narrowly took the first set over No. 92 Grant and then dropped the second. Each side held serve in the third set, needing a tiebreaker to decide the match. The redshirt senior held serve on the final point to take the match by a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5) score and put the Bulldogs at match point.
No. 107 Croyder dropped the first set but managed to take the second in a back-and-forth breaker against Greif. The Marietta native earned his second match-clinching win of the season after he took the final set to win on court four with a pair of breakers, 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(6), clinching a share of the conference crown. The teams agreed to play out the remaining match on court five, where Miguel Perez Peña was in a breaker against Nate Bonetto. The sophomore lost his first match on court five this season in a 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(6) decision to Bonetto.
"For these guys, winning the conference championship means a heck of a lot and I am so proud of them," said Coach Diaz. "This past fall, when we had former players back at the alumni event, I introduced our team to the lettermen there. I asked everyone to raise their hand if they had won a championship ring during their time as a Bulldog, and every single player that was there raised their hand. Since 1971 and onward, everyone who played here for four years can say they won this conference. So, for our fifth-year seniors, it's been a huge goal for them, and this means a ton."
The Bulldogs will play their last two matches of the regular season at home this coming weekend, starting with No. 14 Mississippi State on Friday a 5 p.m. ET and then celebrating senior day against No. 29 Ole Miss on Sunday, April 16 at 1 p.m. Georgia will look to go undefeated in conference play for the first time since 2016 in its final home matches of the season.
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.
#7 Georgia 4, #20 Florida 3
Singles competition
1. #3 Ethan Quinn (UGA) def. #81 Axel Nefve (UF) 6-3, 6-2
2. #13 Philip Henning (UGA) def. #92 Will Grant (UF) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5)
3. Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #102 Jonah Braswell (UF) 6-4, 6-1
4. #107 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Lukas Greif (UF) 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(6)
5. Nate Bonetto (UF) def. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6(6)
6. Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) def. Teodor Giusca (UGA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 6, 2, 4*, 5
Doubles competition
1. #10 Will Grant/Axel Nefve (UF) def. #7 Trent Bryde/Ethan Quinn (UGA) 6-2
2. Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning (UGA) def. Nate Bonetto/Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-2
3. Jonah Braswell/Lukas Greif (UF) def. Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*
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