University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, March 1
Knoxville, Tenn.
5 p.m.
University of Georgia
1
at
6
No. 5 Tennessee
Georgia Falls at No. 5 Tennessee, 6-1
March 01, 2024 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 43 Georgia men's tennis team lost to No. 5 Tennessee, 6-1, on Friday evening at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.
"We got beat by a very good team, but we did a lot of things well," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "We played great doubles, leading on all three courts. We competed well in singles and had some opportunities that slipped away. As painful as it is to lose, we grew as a team today. We have to stay tough and get ready to go on Sunday against a very good Mississippi State squad."
Despite a strong showing in doubles from the Bulldogs (4-5, 0-1 SEC), the Volunteers (10-3, 1-0 SEC) took the point after winning on courts one and two. No. 37 Ryan Colby and Niels Ratiu lost their first match of the dual match season together on court two, 6-4. On court one, Freddy Blaydes and Thomas Paulsell battled against No. 8 Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz but ultimately fell by a 6-4 score as well, giving Tennessee a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Georgia kept its singles matches close throughout the first set but was unable to battle back to find the win. The Bulldogs lost matches on courts four, six and one, allowing the Volunteers to clinch the match. The teams played out the remaining ongoing contests, where No. 77 Miguel Perez Peña was able to win his 16th match of the season. The junior defeated Chris Li, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5, to get the Bulldogs on the board.
Georgia will next travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on No. 26 Mississippi State at the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. ET. Georgia is 5-0 against Mississippi State in the teams' last five matches, previously clinching the 2023 SEC Championship against it at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex last season.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on X and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis and on the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.
No. 5 Tennessee 6, No. 43 Georgia 1
Doubles competition
1. No. 8 Angel Diaz/Johannus Monday (TENN) def. Freddy Blaydes/Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 6-4*
2. No. 36 Filip Pieczonka/Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 37 Ryan Colby/Niels Ratiu (UGA) 6-4
3. Younes Lalami/Filip Apltauer (TENN) vs. Miguel Perez Peña/Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) 4-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
Singles competition
1. No. 7 Johannus Monday (TENN) def. No.5 4 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 27 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 56 Ryan Colby (UGA) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
3. No. 77 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) def. Chris Li (TENN) 6-3, 5-7, 10-5
4. Filip Pieczonka (TENN) def. Niels Ratiu (UGA) 6-1, 6-4
5. No. 82 Angel Diaz (TENN) def. Freddy Blaydes (UGA) 7-5, 6-3
6. Filip Apltauer (TENN) def. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 4, 6, 1*, 5, 2, 3
"We got beat by a very good team, but we did a lot of things well," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "We played great doubles, leading on all three courts. We competed well in singles and had some opportunities that slipped away. As painful as it is to lose, we grew as a team today. We have to stay tough and get ready to go on Sunday against a very good Mississippi State squad."
Despite a strong showing in doubles from the Bulldogs (4-5, 0-1 SEC), the Volunteers (10-3, 1-0 SEC) took the point after winning on courts one and two. No. 37 Ryan Colby and Niels Ratiu lost their first match of the dual match season together on court two, 6-4. On court one, Freddy Blaydes and Thomas Paulsell battled against No. 8 Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz but ultimately fell by a 6-4 score as well, giving Tennessee a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Georgia kept its singles matches close throughout the first set but was unable to battle back to find the win. The Bulldogs lost matches on courts four, six and one, allowing the Volunteers to clinch the match. The teams played out the remaining ongoing contests, where No. 77 Miguel Perez Peña was able to win his 16th match of the season. The junior defeated Chris Li, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5, to get the Bulldogs on the board.
Georgia will next travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on No. 26 Mississippi State at the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. ET. Georgia is 5-0 against Mississippi State in the teams' last five matches, previously clinching the 2023 SEC Championship against it at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex last season.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on X and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis and on the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.
No. 5 Tennessee 6, No. 43 Georgia 1
Doubles competition
1. No. 8 Angel Diaz/Johannus Monday (TENN) def. Freddy Blaydes/Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 6-4*
2. No. 36 Filip Pieczonka/Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 37 Ryan Colby/Niels Ratiu (UGA) 6-4
3. Younes Lalami/Filip Apltauer (TENN) vs. Miguel Perez Peña/Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) 4-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
Singles competition
1. No. 7 Johannus Monday (TENN) def. No.5 4 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 27 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 56 Ryan Colby (UGA) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
3. No. 77 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) def. Chris Li (TENN) 6-3, 5-7, 10-5
4. Filip Pieczonka (TENN) def. Niels Ratiu (UGA) 6-1, 6-4
5. No. 82 Angel Diaz (TENN) def. Freddy Blaydes (UGA) 7-5, 6-3
6. Filip Apltauer (TENN) def. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 4, 6, 1*, 5, 2, 3
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Georgia Men's Tennis NCAA Round 2 vs NC State - Postmatch Interview - Coach Hunt
Sunday, May 04
Georgia Men's Tennis NCAA Round 1 vs UNCW - Video Recap
Saturday, May 03
Georgia Men's Tennis SEC Tournament vs Oklahoma Post-match Interview - Coach Hunt
Thursday, April 17
Georgia Men's Tennis Feature - Lifelong Bond: Miguel Perez Peña and Oscar Pinto Sansano
Tuesday, April 15