University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, January 5
Columbia, S.C.
University of Georgia
vs
Gamecock Kickoff
Bulldogs Return to Action at Gamecock Kickoff
January 04, 2024 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. — After strong performances during the fall slate, the Georgia men's tennis team returns to action for its final tournament before the dual match season at the Gamecock Kickoff inside the Carolina Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C., on Jan. 5-7.
Gamecock Kickoff
Date: Jan. 5-7, 2023
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Venue: Carolina Tennis Complex
Live Stats + Video: https://gado.gs/b85
Tournament Central: https://gado.gs/b86
BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Draw and Schedule: The Gamecock Kickoff will be played in a round-robin format, with matches starting each day at 9 a.m. ET and the second slate to begin not before 1 p.m. Georgia, who is joined by host South Carolina, Illinois and VCU, will play in matches against a rotation of the opposing schools in singles and doubles. Players will compete in one match in both competitions each day. Admission is free for fans to attend.
Fantastic Fall: The Bulldogs had an impressive start to the year during their fall season. The team claimed tournament titles in three of the four fall events that multiple players participated in. Ryan Colby won the Longhorn Invitational in September, Colby and Niels Ratiu took the red draw doubles title and Thomas Paulsell earned the red draw singles title at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships and Miguel Perez Peña won the ITA Southeast Regional Singles Championship in October. Parker Mariencheck rounded out the fall by going undefeated in singles at the Georgia Tech Invitational in November.
Georgia's successes earned the team a No. 18 national ranking, also putting four athletes in the ITA singles rankings and a pair in the doubles poll. After a trio of ranked wins in Austin, Texas, Colby leads the team with a No. 36 ranking. He is closely followed by No. 41 Thomas Paulsell, who picked up his highest-ranked win against 46th-ranked Nemanja Malesevic (Miss. St.) at the Georgia Tech Invitational, and No. 43 Perez Peña. Freshman No. 112 Cyrus Mahjoob, a semifinalist at the ITA Southeast Regional, closed out the ranked Bulldogs in singles. In doubles, No. 42 Colby and Ratiu earned a spot after a 7-3 start together.
New-Look Bulldogs: Georgia brings in six new freshmen and a transfer to its 2023-24 roster. The team has enrolled five-stars Mahjoob and Davis Taylor, four stars Parker Jacques and Mariencheck as well as Belgium-native Raitu. The Bulldogs also signed USC transfer Colby, who was a former blue-chip prospect and All-Pac 12 honoree. Freddy Blaydes, who has a career-high International Tennis Federation world juniors ranking of No. 117 and signed with the program in October, will join the team for the spring season.
Juniors Paulsell, Perez Peña and redshirt sophomore Filipe Costa are the only three players from the 2023 SEC regular season championship team still on the roster. Five of the remaining six used their final year of eligibility last season while Ethan Quinn opted to begin his professional career after winning the NCAA singles national championship in May.
Diaz Enters 36th Season: Manuel Diaz – the SEC's all-time wins leader with 767 career victories – begins his 36th season as the Georgia men's tennis coach. Diaz led the Bulldogs to another conference championship and a deep run in the NCAA tournament in 2023.
The United States Tennis Association Southern Tennis Hall of Fame coach has guided Georgia to 29 SEC championships, four NCAA national titles (1999, 2001, 2007 and 2008) and two Intercollegiate Tennis Association indoor national championships in 36 years. He has been named SEC Coach of the Year on seven occasions and the ITA National Coach of the Year three times.
Most recently, the Bulldogs captured the SEC crown with a perfect 12-0 conference record on their way to the NCAA quarterfinals. Under Diaz's guidance, redshirt freshman Quinn became just the fourth rookie since 1977 to win the NCAA singles championship and the third Georgia player to accomplish the feat, joining the elite company of Mikael Pernfors and Matias Boeker.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's tennis on Facebook, Instagram and X @UGATennis or check out information online at georgiadogs.com.
Gamecock Kickoff
Date: Jan. 5-7, 2023
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Venue: Carolina Tennis Complex
Live Stats + Video: https://gado.gs/b85
Tournament Central: https://gado.gs/b86
BULLDOGS BULLETIN
Draw and Schedule: The Gamecock Kickoff will be played in a round-robin format, with matches starting each day at 9 a.m. ET and the second slate to begin not before 1 p.m. Georgia, who is joined by host South Carolina, Illinois and VCU, will play in matches against a rotation of the opposing schools in singles and doubles. Players will compete in one match in both competitions each day. Admission is free for fans to attend.
Fantastic Fall: The Bulldogs had an impressive start to the year during their fall season. The team claimed tournament titles in three of the four fall events that multiple players participated in. Ryan Colby won the Longhorn Invitational in September, Colby and Niels Ratiu took the red draw doubles title and Thomas Paulsell earned the red draw singles title at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships and Miguel Perez Peña won the ITA Southeast Regional Singles Championship in October. Parker Mariencheck rounded out the fall by going undefeated in singles at the Georgia Tech Invitational in November.
Georgia's successes earned the team a No. 18 national ranking, also putting four athletes in the ITA singles rankings and a pair in the doubles poll. After a trio of ranked wins in Austin, Texas, Colby leads the team with a No. 36 ranking. He is closely followed by No. 41 Thomas Paulsell, who picked up his highest-ranked win against 46th-ranked Nemanja Malesevic (Miss. St.) at the Georgia Tech Invitational, and No. 43 Perez Peña. Freshman No. 112 Cyrus Mahjoob, a semifinalist at the ITA Southeast Regional, closed out the ranked Bulldogs in singles. In doubles, No. 42 Colby and Ratiu earned a spot after a 7-3 start together.
New-Look Bulldogs: Georgia brings in six new freshmen and a transfer to its 2023-24 roster. The team has enrolled five-stars Mahjoob and Davis Taylor, four stars Parker Jacques and Mariencheck as well as Belgium-native Raitu. The Bulldogs also signed USC transfer Colby, who was a former blue-chip prospect and All-Pac 12 honoree. Freddy Blaydes, who has a career-high International Tennis Federation world juniors ranking of No. 117 and signed with the program in October, will join the team for the spring season.
Juniors Paulsell, Perez Peña and redshirt sophomore Filipe Costa are the only three players from the 2023 SEC regular season championship team still on the roster. Five of the remaining six used their final year of eligibility last season while Ethan Quinn opted to begin his professional career after winning the NCAA singles national championship in May.
Diaz Enters 36th Season: Manuel Diaz – the SEC's all-time wins leader with 767 career victories – begins his 36th season as the Georgia men's tennis coach. Diaz led the Bulldogs to another conference championship and a deep run in the NCAA tournament in 2023.
The United States Tennis Association Southern Tennis Hall of Fame coach has guided Georgia to 29 SEC championships, four NCAA national titles (1999, 2001, 2007 and 2008) and two Intercollegiate Tennis Association indoor national championships in 36 years. He has been named SEC Coach of the Year on seven occasions and the ITA National Coach of the Year three times.
Most recently, the Bulldogs captured the SEC crown with a perfect 12-0 conference record on their way to the NCAA quarterfinals. Under Diaz's guidance, redshirt freshman Quinn became just the fourth rookie since 1977 to win the NCAA singles championship and the third Georgia player to accomplish the feat, joining the elite company of Mikael Pernfors and Matias Boeker.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's tennis on Facebook, Instagram and X @UGATennis or check out information online at georgiadogs.com.
Players Mentioned
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