Bulldogs Defeat Mercer, Presbyterian in Double Header Home Opener

Saturday, January 18

Athens, Ga.

12:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Mercer

Sophomore Niels Ratiu during a singles match against Mercer on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 in the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility.

Photo by: Sofia Yaker/UGAAA

Bulldogs Defeat Mercer, Presbyterian in Double Header Home Opener

January 18, 2025 | Men's Tennis

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia men's tennis team defeated Mercer 7-0 and Presbyterian 7-0 in a double header in the Bulldogs' season opener on Saturday at the Lindsay Hopkins Indoor Facility.

FAST FACTS:

Head Coach Jamie Hunt follows in the footsteps of Georgia Tennis legends Dan Magill and Manny Diaz, winning his opening match at the helm of the program.
Georgia continued their 23-0 winning record over Mercer decisively, with five out of six singles matches finishing in straight sets.
Saturday was the Bulldogs' first matchup with Presbyterian since 2019, with the Bulldogs now holding a 17-8 series edge over the Blue Hose.
Both the Georgia Bulldogs and the Presbyterian Blue Hose are led by first-time head coaches of their respective programs. Saturday marked the dual match head-coaching debut of Hunt's career.
Freshman Gabriele Vulpitta made his collegiate debut on Saturday in the Lindsay Hopkin Indoor Facility. Vulpitta, partnered with Niels Ratiu, went 6-0 in doubles and 6-2, 6-2 in singles against Mercer. He continued his win streak to both matches against Presbyterian, defeating the Blue Hose 6-0 in doubles and 6-3, 6-0 in singles.
Ratiu and Vulpitta defeated both of their doubles opponents 6-0 in their first showing as a pair.
Georgia is now 23-3 in season openers since 2000.

KEY QUOTES:
Georgia Head Coach Jamie Hunt
On the matches today…
"It was good. Really pleased in a number of things. We challenged them to come out, take care of business, and be business-like. I thought our mindset was awesome in both matches. We were very business-minded. We took care of business and did a really good job with our energy and execution. To win both 7-0 proves that."

Niels Ratiu, So.
On playing in front of the home fans…
"It's amazing. It's a tough fall season. We have one tournament at home, and we play outside and in here. It's amazing to have their support. They're the greatest fans in the country. It's great."

UP NEXT:
Georgia travels to Cambridge, Mass. to face off against No. 21 Harvard in the first round of the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Saturday, Jan. 25. Should the Bulldogs win, Jamie Hunt's side will face the winner of No. 14 Texas A&M/No. 20 UCLA. The loser of the Georgia/Harvard match will play the loser of the aforementioned contest.

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.