Georgia Beats No. 29 LSU, 4-1

Friday, March 22

Athens, Ga.

5 p.m.

University of Georgia

No. 29 LSU

March 22, 2024 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

ATHENS, Ga. - The No. 40 Georgia men's tennis team defeated No. 29 LSU, 4-1, on Friday evening at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

The Bulldogs (8-9, 2-4 SEC) picked up their seventh win at home after the result. Freshman Niels Ratiu captured the first match-clinching win of his collegiate career by taking down Aleksi Lofman by a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 score on court three.

"It feels awesome," Ratiu said. "We had a great battle from everyone on each court. We had great play in doubles, and we had great energy from the team and the crowd from beginning to end, so we were very happy."

Georgia picked up the doubles point after securing wins on courts two and one. Ryan Colby and Thomas Paulsell came out victorious versus LSU's (11-6, 1-5 SEC) George Stoupe and Welsh Hotard on court two, 6-2, while Freddy Blaydes and Ratiu defeated No. 75 Aleksi Lofman and Stefan Latinovic on court one, 6-4. Blaydes and Ratiu's win gave the tandem their third point-clinching win and second over a ranked opponent this year, both good for most on the team.

"We had a fantastic doubles point," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "Our play at one and two was incredible. Our guys at number three were down a break early on, but they fought back."

The Tigers managed to tie the match after a win on court six, but the Bulldogs used their momentum to fight back. No. 58 Colby grabbed the first win in a 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 victory on court two over the Tigers' George Stoupe, earning his eighth win on court two.

No. 81 Miguel Perez Peña got Georgia to match point after winning his team-best 13th win in straight sets. The junior fell behind in the second-set breaker but rattled off three points in a row to secure the victory. Raitu then clinched the match and gave the Bulldogs their second conference win.

"Miguel let a couple of match points slide in the second set, but he was able to get that breaker after a couple of opportunities there," Coach Diaz said. "It was a tough opponent. I'm just super proud of Niels - he did a great job of closing that match out."

Georgia will return to action at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Sunday, March 24 for a doubleheader, with matches against No. 48 Arkansas at 1:00 p.m. ET and The Citadel at 5 p.m.

No. 40 Georgia 4, No. 29 LSU 1
Doubles competition - Georgia Wins Point
1. Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. No. 75 Aleksi Lofman/Stefan Latinovic (LSU)
6-4*
2. Ryan Colby/Thomas Paulsell (UGA) def. George Stoupe/Welsh Hotard (LSU) 6-2
3. Cyrus Mahjoob/Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) vs. Chen Dong/Julien Penzlin (LSU) 3-4,
unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2*

Singles competition
1. No. 61 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) vs. Stefan Latinovic (LSU) 6-7(8), 3-3, unfinished
2. No. 58 Ryan Colby (UGA) def. George Stoupe (LSU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
3. Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Aleksi Lofman (LSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4*
4. No. 81 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) def. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) 6-1, 7-6(8)
5. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) vs. Rudy Ceccon (LSU) 6-4, 0-6, 3-1, unfinished
6. Julien Penzlin (LSU) def. Filipe Costa (UGA) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 6, 2, 4, 3*

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 the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.