University of Georgia Athletics
Sunday, January 28
Clemson, S.C.
4:00 p.m. ET
University of Georgia
4
vs
0
Louisiana
Georgia Sweeps Louisiana, Advances to ITA Kickoff Weekend Finals
January 28, 2024 | Men's Tennis
CLEMSON, S.C. – The 19th-ranked Georgia men's tennis team swept Louisiana, 4-0, in its opening match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Sunday afternoon at the Duckworth Family Indoor Tennis Facility.
The match was highlighted by junior No. 41 Thomas Paulsell who earned the third match-clinching victory of his career on court one. With the win, the Bulldogs (3-0) advance to the final and will face No. 18 Texas A&M for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Flushing, N.Y. on Monday at 2:30 p.m. ET at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
"I thought we played a great match today and I'm super proud of our guys," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "Our doubles play today was great. It was a job well done by Louisiana. They made it tough on us – in four of the first sets, they played extraordinarily well. We're happy to be going back home and getting to play in front of our fans tomorrow. Texas A&M is a very good team, so this will be a big challenge. I am excited to see our Bulldog faithful out at Dan Magill Tennis Complex tomorrow afternoon."
Georgia began the match by defeating Louisiana (0-4) in doubles competition to take a 1-0 lead heading into singles action. On court two, Ryan Colby and Paulsell went up two breaks early on Alejandro Sanchez Gonzalez and Leonard Tramolay, ultimately winning their third match together, by a 6-2 score. The freshmen tandem of Freddy Blaydes and Niels Ratiu would go on to earn the first point-clinching win of their careers together on court one, winning the match, 6-4.
In singles action, the Bulldogs won first sets on all six courts. Blaydes took his third-straight singles match in straight sets with a 6-1, 6-1 decision on court six. The Windermere, England native has dropped just nine games across three matches in the dual-match season. No. 36 Colby notched the 11th singles win of his Georgia career on court two over Vasil Dimitrov by a 7-5, 6-3 score. Despite falling behind 4-1 in the first set, No. 41 Paulsell fought back to win 12 of the final 16 games, winning his second singles match on the top court and securing the Bulldogs' win.
Tomorrow's tilt against a Southeastern Conference team in the ITA event will not count towards the programs' conference records. Georgia is 8-7 all-time against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs beat the Aggies twice last season, winning 5-2 during the regular season on March 9, 2022, and in a 4-0 sweep during the second round of the SEC Championship on April 22, 2022.
No. 19 Georgia 4, Louisiana 0
Doubles Competition
-CT 1: Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Vasil Dimitrov/Mason Landreth (UL) 6-4*
-CT 2: Thomas Paulsell/Ryan Colby (UGA) def. Leonard Tramolay/Al Sanchez Gonzalez (UL) 6-2
-CT 3: Miguel Perez Peña/Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) vs. Oriol Fillat Gimenez/William Ribero (UL) 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
Singles Competition
-CT 1: No. 41 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) def. Al Sanchez Gonzalez (UL) 7-5, 6-3*
-CT 2: No. 36 Ryan Colby (UGA) def. Vasil Dimitrov (UL) 7-5, 6-2
-CT 3: No. 43 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) vs. William Ribero (UL) 6-0, 4-6, 0-1, unfinished
-CT 4: Niels Ratiu (UGA) vs. Oriol Fillat Gimenez (UL) 7-6 (7-5), 4-1, unfinished
-CT 5: No. 112 Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) vs. Alejo Ferrer Chueca (UL) 7-5, 4-1, unfinished
-CT 6: Freddy Blaydes (UGA) def. Mason Landreth (UL) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 2, 1*
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on Instagram and X @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.
The match was highlighted by junior No. 41 Thomas Paulsell who earned the third match-clinching victory of his career on court one. With the win, the Bulldogs (3-0) advance to the final and will face No. 18 Texas A&M for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Flushing, N.Y. on Monday at 2:30 p.m. ET at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
"I thought we played a great match today and I'm super proud of our guys," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "Our doubles play today was great. It was a job well done by Louisiana. They made it tough on us – in four of the first sets, they played extraordinarily well. We're happy to be going back home and getting to play in front of our fans tomorrow. Texas A&M is a very good team, so this will be a big challenge. I am excited to see our Bulldog faithful out at Dan Magill Tennis Complex tomorrow afternoon."
Georgia began the match by defeating Louisiana (0-4) in doubles competition to take a 1-0 lead heading into singles action. On court two, Ryan Colby and Paulsell went up two breaks early on Alejandro Sanchez Gonzalez and Leonard Tramolay, ultimately winning their third match together, by a 6-2 score. The freshmen tandem of Freddy Blaydes and Niels Ratiu would go on to earn the first point-clinching win of their careers together on court one, winning the match, 6-4.
In singles action, the Bulldogs won first sets on all six courts. Blaydes took his third-straight singles match in straight sets with a 6-1, 6-1 decision on court six. The Windermere, England native has dropped just nine games across three matches in the dual-match season. No. 36 Colby notched the 11th singles win of his Georgia career on court two over Vasil Dimitrov by a 7-5, 6-3 score. Despite falling behind 4-1 in the first set, No. 41 Paulsell fought back to win 12 of the final 16 games, winning his second singles match on the top court and securing the Bulldogs' win.
Tomorrow's tilt against a Southeastern Conference team in the ITA event will not count towards the programs' conference records. Georgia is 8-7 all-time against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs beat the Aggies twice last season, winning 5-2 during the regular season on March 9, 2022, and in a 4-0 sweep during the second round of the SEC Championship on April 22, 2022.
No. 19 Georgia 4, Louisiana 0
Doubles Competition
-CT 1: Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Vasil Dimitrov/Mason Landreth (UL) 6-4*
-CT 2: Thomas Paulsell/Ryan Colby (UGA) def. Leonard Tramolay/Al Sanchez Gonzalez (UL) 6-2
-CT 3: Miguel Perez Peña/Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) vs. Oriol Fillat Gimenez/William Ribero (UL) 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
Singles Competition
-CT 1: No. 41 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) def. Al Sanchez Gonzalez (UL) 7-5, 6-3*
-CT 2: No. 36 Ryan Colby (UGA) def. Vasil Dimitrov (UL) 7-5, 6-2
-CT 3: No. 43 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) vs. William Ribero (UL) 6-0, 4-6, 0-1, unfinished
-CT 4: Niels Ratiu (UGA) vs. Oriol Fillat Gimenez (UL) 7-6 (7-5), 4-1, unfinished
-CT 5: No. 112 Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) vs. Alejo Ferrer Chueca (UL) 7-5, 4-1, unfinished
-CT 6: Freddy Blaydes (UGA) def. Mason Landreth (UL) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 2, 1*
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on Instagram and X @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.
Players Mentioned
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