Friday, March 7
Athens, Ga.
2:00 p.m.
University of Georgia
vs
Kentucky
The University of Georgia men's tennis team before a match against Auburn at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on Sunday, Mar. 2, 2025.
Bulldogs Prep for No. 27 Kentucky, No. 64 LSU This Weekend
March 06, 2025 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia men's tennis team is set for two SEC matches this weekend, first as hosts to No. 27 Kentucky (9-4, 2-1) on Friday, Mar. 7 at 2:00 p.m. E.T. and then on the road against No. 64 LSU (8-7, 0-4) on Sunday, Mar. 9 at 1:00 p.m. E.T. The Bulldogs currently sit at 7-6 overall with a 1-2 nod in conference play.
Match 14 – No. 27 Kentucky
Friday, Mar. 7, 2025
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Live Streaming/Live Stats: https://gado.gs/9kh
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis
Match 15 – No. 64 LSU
Sunday, Mar. 9, 2025
LSU Tennis Complex
Live Streaming/Live Stats: https://gado.gs/aaw
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis
*PDF of Full Match Notes Available Here
BULLDOG BULLETIN
The First Serve: Into the third weekend of SEC action, the Bulldogs sit at 7-6 with a 1-2 mark in conference play.
Georgia holds a 50-13 all-time series edge against the Wildcats, last beating Kentucky during the regular season in 2023. After Kentucky took court two in doubles over Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning, the Bulldogs turned to the tandem of No. 9 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde on one, and then Blake Croyder/Britton Johnson sealed the doubles point on court three. In singles, Georgia was quick to a 4-0 clinch off wins from, in order, No. 17 Henning, No. 99 Croyder and No. 4 Quinn. Playing out, Kentucky grabbed wins on courts three and five before current senior Miguel Perez Peña wrapped the 5-2 win on court six.
This season, the Wildcats sit at 9-4 (2-1), with wins over Northern Kentucky, Xavier, Santa Clara, No. 20 Arizona State, Memphis, Louisville, SMU, Mississippi State and South Carolina. Kentucky dropped contests to No. 23 Michigan State, No. 19 N.C. State, No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 37 Florida. On the roster, the Wildcats have two freshman (Crivei and Ghibaudo), three sophomores (Loutit, Rankin and Stephenson) and three juniors (Breysach, Cosnet and Weekes). Kentucky is led by 13th-year head coach Cedric Kauffmann, assisted by associate head coach Matthew Gordon and assistant coach Carey Rubin.
Against the Tigers, the Bulldogs are 54-16 all-time. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated LSU in Athens, 4-1. Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu went first in doubles on court one before Thomas Paulsell/Ryan Colby clinched the point on court two. In singles clinch play, the Tigers grabbed a win on court six before No. 58 Colby, No. 81 Perez Peña and Ratiu, in order, saw the Bulldogs to the win.
This year, LSU sits at 8-7 (0-4) heading into Friday matches with wins over Southern, UL-Lafayette, a double over UAB, Memphis, New Orleans, Tulane, Nicholls State and has suffered defeat to No. 22 N.C. State, Pepperdine, Rice, No. 34 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 19 Mississippi State and No. 64 Ole Miss. The Tigers have four freshman (), five sophomores (), one senior () and one graduate () on the roster. LSU is led by third-year head coach Danny Bryan, assisted by assistant coach Sebastian Rey and graduate assistant coach Martim Prata.
Prior to the dual match season, the Bulldogs put together several strong performances through the fall. Headlined by Thomas Paulsell's round of 16 run in the NCAA Singles Championships, three Bulldogs (Paulsell, Perez Peña and Pinto Sansano) qualified for the NCAA individual tournament. Paulsell qualified for the championships by way of finishing as a semi-finalist at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in Rome, Ga. Perez Peña qualified after being crowned co-champion of the ITA Southeast Regional, and Pinto Sansano after winning the 5-8 playoff at the ITA South Sectional. Interestingly, by reaching the round of 16 in the singles tournament, Paulsell was recognized as the program's 55th All-American.
The Bulldogs culled together 77 singles wins in the fall, 13 of which were over ranked opponents. In doubles, Georgia had 24 total wins - eight ranked. The Bulldogs individual records from the fall (spring dual match records in parentheses) are compiled below:
Singles: Overall:
Freddy Blaydes: 5-3 (1-2) 6-5
Ryan Colby: 11-7 (6-3) 17-10
Filipe Costa: 2-5 (3-0) 5-5
Parker Jacques: 5-3 (N/A) 5-3
Cyrus Mahjoob: 6-4 (2-0) 8-4
Parker Mariencheck: 2-5 (1-0) 3-5
Thomas Paulsell: 13-6 (4-5) 17-11
Miguel Perez Peña: 9-6 (7-1) 16-7
Oscar Pinto Sansano: 9-6 (10-3) 19-9
Niels Ratiu: 6-5 (6-5) 12-10
Gabriele Vulpitta: N/A (2-5) 2-5
Doubles: Overall:
Blaydes/Ratiu: 10-5 (3-0) 13-5
Paulsell/Colby: 7-4 (4-5) 11-9
Perez Peña/Pinto Sansano: 5-5 (N/A) 5-5
Costa/Mahjoob: 2-3 (N/A) 2-3
Jacques/Mariencheck: 0-4 (N/A) 0-4
Ratiu/Vulpitta: N/A (2-0) 2-0
Blaydes/Pinto Sansano: N/A (3-1) 3-1
Perez Peña/Ratiu: N/A (2-4) 2-4
Perez Peña/Jacques: N/A (1-0) 1-0
Paulsell/Pinto Sansano: N/A (1-1) 1-1
Perez Pena/Vulpitta: N/A (2-0) 2-0
Colby/Ratiu: N/A (0-2) 0-2
*Arda Azkara, Cooper Johnson and Gabriele Vulpitta are entering their first semester with Georgia.
** Davis Taylor did not feature in ITA-sanctioned matches during the fall.
On The Cards: In the last 16 contests against Kentucky, Georgia owns a 10-6 record against the Wildcats, and head coach Cedric Kauffman's side has been ranked inside the top-15 in the nation for 11 of those match-ups. Last season, Kentucky beat Georgia in Lexington 4-1. The Wildcats took the doubles point with a clinching win on court one over No. 27 Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu. In singles, Ratiu grabbed his first third ranked win of the spring with a 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 124 Jaden Weekes to level the match at 1-all. The Wildcats responded with three successive wins, in order, on courts one, four and two to clinch the 4-1 victory.
The Bulldogs have won the last ten matchups with the Tigers, five of the wins coming as a sweep. Not only is LSU chasing its first win against Georgia in double-digit tries, but they are also chasing the first SEC win of the season. Last season, Georgia ran out 4-1 winners at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex over the Tigers. Blaydes/Ratiu grabbed a win on court one before Ryan Colby/Thomas Paulsell clinched doubles with a 6-2 victory on court two. In clinch singles, LSU kicked off clinch singles with its lone win on court six before the home side rattled off wins on court two by No. 58 Colby, court four by No. 81 Miguel Perez Peña, and court three by Ratiu to seal the result.
Last Time Out: Georgia dropped its first two SEC matches during the first road trip of the season at No. 25 Alabama and No. 45 Auburn.
Last Friday against the Tide, the Bulldogs impressed in doubles action with Miguel Perez Peña/Gabriele Vulpitta grabbing their first win as a pairing on court three against Roan Jones/Matias Ponce De Leon. Also in their first appearance as a pairing, Thomas Paulsell/Oscar Pinto Sansano grabbed their first win - a ranked win, at that - over No. 41 Filip Planinsek/Matic Kriznik 7(9)-6(7) on court one to hand the Bulldogs the doubles point. Into singles, No. 46 Ryan Colby went first to hand Georgia a 2-0 lead with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win on court two. The Tide responded with victories on courts five then one to level the match score at two-a-piece. Coming down to the final three courts, Alabama grabbed another win on court three. Pinto Sansano and Vulpitta remained in action for the Bulldogs on courts four and six, respectively, and the Spaniard dispatched his opponent on court four. Coming down to court six for the match, Vulpitta lost a tough second set tiebreaker before ultimately falling 6-2 in the third set to hand the home side the 4-3 win.
On Sunday at Auburn, after another win on court three by Perez Peña/
Vulpitta, the Tigers pounced on the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. The Bulldogs were never able to truly find their rhythm in singles play, with Auburn grabbing its first singles win on court five before No. 20 Paulsell gave Georgia its lone win on court three. The Tigers returned fire with wins on court four and six to clinch the match, 4-1, in favor of the home side.
Strong Starts from the Spaniards: Senior Miguel Perez Peña made his best start in dual match play of his career at 6-0 following the match against No. 5 Virginia. Perez Peña is now 7-1 after a career-high win in singles during the Tennessee match and beginning his stint on court one for the Bulldogs in conference play. Prior to this season, the Spaniards held a career-best start to the spring of 5-0 in 2023.
More, Perez Peña's 7-0 start includes appearances at courts one, two and three including two ranked wins against Wake Forest's No. 115 Ioannis Xilas – who has since improved to No. 56 in the nation – 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 and No. 16 Shunsuke Mitsui, 6-1, 6-3. Four of the senior's seven wins this spring came in straight set fashion.
Senior Oscar Pinto Sansano leads the team in singles wins this spring with ten. Sitting at 10-3, and recently having moved up to court four, every match that Pinto Sansano has won has come in straight sets up until his match-tying win on court four against Andrii Zimnokh for No. 25 Alabama.
Top 25 Wins: Since 2020, Georgia has amassed 32 top-25 wins in regular season and post-season play. A list of each top-25 victory is compiled below.
2020: 4-2 vs. No. 10 Tennessee, 4-0 vs. No. 3 Ohio State, 4-1 vs. No. 11 Ohio State
2021: 4-3 vs. No. 14 N.C. State, 5-2 vs. No. 22 Mississippi State, 4-2 vs. No. 21 UCF, 4-3 vs. No. 20 Kentucky, 4-2 vs. No. 8 Texas A&M, 4-0 vs. No. 25 Texas Tech, 4-3 vs. No. 6 North Carolina
2022: 4-3 vs. No. 16 N.C. State, 4-3 vs. No. 6 Texas, 5-2 vs. No. 23 Mississippi State, 4-3 vs. No. 14 South Carolina, 4-2 vs. No. 5 Tennessee, 4-0 vs. No. 9 Ole Miss, 5-2 vs. No. 18 Alabama
2023: 4-3 vs. No. 16 Stanford, 4-3 vs. No. 8 South Carolina, 4-2 vs. No. 6 USC, 6-1 vs. No. 14 Auburn, 4-3 vs. No. 18 Tennessee, 5-2 vs. No. 4 Kentucky, 4-0 vs. No. 5 South Carolina, 4-3 vs. No. 20 Florida, 6-1 vs. No. 20 Mississippi State, 7-0 vs. No. 25 Ole Miss, 4-0 vs. No. 24 Florida, 4-0 vs. No. 21 Texas A&M, 4-2 vs. No. 10 Harvard
2024: 5-2 vs. No. 21 Alabama
2025 (so far): 4-2 vs. No. 16 Tennessee
Award-Winning: Following the first week of action, sophomore Niels Ratiu was announced as the first SEC men's tennis player of the week for the 2025 season.
Ratiu was efficient in the home openers for the Bulldogs. In singles play, Ratiu dispatched Mercer's Fouilhoux on court four in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 earning Georgia it's second singles point of the match. In the second match, Ratiu moved up to court two for the Bulldogs, blanking his opponent, Presbyterian's Pedro Cardoso, in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 – the Bulldogs' first singles point of the match. Ratiu's appearance on court two against Presbyterian is his fourth career appearance in the position for Georgia. In doubles play, Ratiu maintained his court one presence from his freshman season playing alongside freshman Gabriele Vulpitta. The duo earned their first two wins over Mercer's No. 55 Stefanovic/Fouilhoux and Presbyterian's Mamalat/Vasilakis winning both matches 6-0. With the win over No. 55 Stefanovic/Fouilhoux, Ratiu now has 13 career ranked doubles wins and his first with Vulpitta.
Rank the Dawgs: Three Bulldogs are settled in the latest ITA singles rankings that released Tuesday, Mar. 4.
Leading off, Thomas Paulsell nestles No. 26, immediately followed by Ryan Colby at No. 27 - career high nod for the senior. Miguel Perez Peña jumped up to No. 32 in this week's edition, also a career-high singles ranking.
In doubles, Paulsell/Colby come in at No. 14 - tying their career-high ranking
individually and as a pairing. Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu remain in the top-25 at No. 23 with the Spanish duo of Perez Peña/Oscar Pinto Sansano finding themselves at No. 47.
Across the SEC: As of Wednesday, Mar. 5, 10 players in the SEC have at least 10 singles wins in dual match action with senior Oscar Pinto Sansano joining those ranks. Pinto Sansano, who is currently 10-3, has matched his best start to spring play that he set as a junior at VCU. A list of all SEC athletes with 10 or more singles wins in spring is compiled below:
Filip Planinsek, Alabama 10-0
Lukas Palovic, Arkansas 11-4
Jakub Vrba, Arkansas 10-1
Oscar Pinto Sansano, Georgia 10-3
Julien Penzlin, LSU 10-1
Matthieu Chambonniere, Ole Miss 10-1
Niccolo Baroni, Mississippi State 10-1
Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes, Mississippi State 10-1
Pierre Yves-Bailly, Texas 10-0
Shunsuke Mitsui, Tennessee 10-2
New Faces, New Places: The Bulldogs welcomed three new faces to Athens for the 2025 season, with a key signing for the fall 2025 class.
VCU transfer Oscar Pinto Sansano joined the ranks for the fall campaign. Pinto Sansano began his collegiate career at Arkansas and compiled a 7-14 singles dual match record before spending transferring to VCU for two seasons. With VCU, Pinto Sansano held a 20-5 overall singles dual match record and was ranked as high as No. 31 in ITA doubles ranking. Prior to his collegiate career, he was regarded as the No. 53 junior in UTR world rankings.
In January, Grand Slam champion Gabriele Vulpitta arrived in Athens for the 2025 season and beyond. Vulpitta, a native of Rome, Italy, boasts an impressive resume with a junior doubles title at Wimbledon, as well as finishing as a 2023 junior doubles Roland Garros finalist. He also held career-high ATP rankings of No. 747 in doubles and No. 1168 in singles with a Universal Tennis Rating of 13.23. More, New Mexico transfer Arda Azkara now dons the red and black. Azkara compiled 50 singles wins with the Lobos and was named the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year in 2022. After his sophomore and junior seasons, Azkara became the first Mountain West player to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors since Oliver Maiberger of San Diego State University from 2001-2003. The Turkish native recorded an 11-0 record at No. 1 singles for the Lobos last season and holds a 13.15 Universal Tennis Rating. Georgia native Cooper Johnson will join the Bulldogs in January. Johnson holds career-high recruiting rankings of No. 1 in the state of Georgia and No. 21 nationally. He holds a Universal Tennis Rating of 11.9 with a 3-2 record against other five-star recruits. Johnson also holds an ITF junior ranking of 3,157 and an ITF World Tennis Number of 16.5
Blue-chip recruit and Anderson, S.C. native Noah Johnston signed with Georgia for the fall of 2025, head coach Jamie Hunt announced last fall. The former No. 1 overall recruit in the nation holds a 5-5 record against fellow blue-chip prospects and a career-high ITF junior ranking of 50. Johnston has recent singles and
doubles wins at the J200 Tampico, a doubles championship at the J300 Barranquilla, and a doubles championship at the J300 San Jose while also featuring in the junior doubles draw of the 144th edition of the U.S. Open.
Head Coach Jamie Hunt: Jamie Hunt, who was part of Georgia's 2007 and 2008 NCAA National Championship teams as a player and served seven years on the Georgia men's tennis staff as an associate head coach, was tabbed to lead the Bulldogs' men's tennis program on Feb. 27, 2024.
Since returning to Athens in 2017, Hunt has twice been named the ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year and helped the Bulldogs capture the 2023 SEC Championship with a perfect league record.
Hunt played for Coach Diaz from 2007-2010 and helped lead Georgia to a pair of national championships. Following his playing career, Hunt made his way to Nashville to become an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
Hunt was a star tennis player and leader for the Bulldogs' tennis program from 2007 through 2010. His 116 singles wins rank 12th all-time in school history for the four-time All-SEC selection, while his combined singles and doubles record of 238-80 ranks third in the Georgia record book.
Hunt and his wife Kyndal Edwards Hunt met as seniors at the University of Georgia and have five children: Daughter Blakely, son Hayes, twins -- daughter Macy and son Hudson -- and son Ford.
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.
Match 14 – No. 27 Kentucky
Friday, Mar. 7, 2025
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Live Streaming/Live Stats: https://gado.gs/9kh
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis
Match 15 – No. 64 LSU
Sunday, Mar. 9, 2025
LSU Tennis Complex
Live Streaming/Live Stats: https://gado.gs/aaw
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis
*PDF of Full Match Notes Available Here
BULLDOG BULLETIN
The First Serve: Into the third weekend of SEC action, the Bulldogs sit at 7-6 with a 1-2 mark in conference play.
Georgia holds a 50-13 all-time series edge against the Wildcats, last beating Kentucky during the regular season in 2023. After Kentucky took court two in doubles over Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning, the Bulldogs turned to the tandem of No. 9 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde on one, and then Blake Croyder/Britton Johnson sealed the doubles point on court three. In singles, Georgia was quick to a 4-0 clinch off wins from, in order, No. 17 Henning, No. 99 Croyder and No. 4 Quinn. Playing out, Kentucky grabbed wins on courts three and five before current senior Miguel Perez Peña wrapped the 5-2 win on court six.
This season, the Wildcats sit at 9-4 (2-1), with wins over Northern Kentucky, Xavier, Santa Clara, No. 20 Arizona State, Memphis, Louisville, SMU, Mississippi State and South Carolina. Kentucky dropped contests to No. 23 Michigan State, No. 19 N.C. State, No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 37 Florida. On the roster, the Wildcats have two freshman (Crivei and Ghibaudo), three sophomores (Loutit, Rankin and Stephenson) and three juniors (Breysach, Cosnet and Weekes). Kentucky is led by 13th-year head coach Cedric Kauffmann, assisted by associate head coach Matthew Gordon and assistant coach Carey Rubin.
Against the Tigers, the Bulldogs are 54-16 all-time. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated LSU in Athens, 4-1. Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu went first in doubles on court one before Thomas Paulsell/Ryan Colby clinched the point on court two. In singles clinch play, the Tigers grabbed a win on court six before No. 58 Colby, No. 81 Perez Peña and Ratiu, in order, saw the Bulldogs to the win.
This year, LSU sits at 8-7 (0-4) heading into Friday matches with wins over Southern, UL-Lafayette, a double over UAB, Memphis, New Orleans, Tulane, Nicholls State and has suffered defeat to No. 22 N.C. State, Pepperdine, Rice, No. 34 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 19 Mississippi State and No. 64 Ole Miss. The Tigers have four freshman (), five sophomores (), one senior () and one graduate () on the roster. LSU is led by third-year head coach Danny Bryan, assisted by assistant coach Sebastian Rey and graduate assistant coach Martim Prata.
Prior to the dual match season, the Bulldogs put together several strong performances through the fall. Headlined by Thomas Paulsell's round of 16 run in the NCAA Singles Championships, three Bulldogs (Paulsell, Perez Peña and Pinto Sansano) qualified for the NCAA individual tournament. Paulsell qualified for the championships by way of finishing as a semi-finalist at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in Rome, Ga. Perez Peña qualified after being crowned co-champion of the ITA Southeast Regional, and Pinto Sansano after winning the 5-8 playoff at the ITA South Sectional. Interestingly, by reaching the round of 16 in the singles tournament, Paulsell was recognized as the program's 55th All-American.
The Bulldogs culled together 77 singles wins in the fall, 13 of which were over ranked opponents. In doubles, Georgia had 24 total wins - eight ranked. The Bulldogs individual records from the fall (spring dual match records in parentheses) are compiled below:
Singles: Overall:
Freddy Blaydes: 5-3 (1-2) 6-5
Ryan Colby: 11-7 (6-3) 17-10
Filipe Costa: 2-5 (3-0) 5-5
Parker Jacques: 5-3 (N/A) 5-3
Cyrus Mahjoob: 6-4 (2-0) 8-4
Parker Mariencheck: 2-5 (1-0) 3-5
Thomas Paulsell: 13-6 (4-5) 17-11
Miguel Perez Peña: 9-6 (7-1) 16-7
Oscar Pinto Sansano: 9-6 (10-3) 19-9
Niels Ratiu: 6-5 (6-5) 12-10
Gabriele Vulpitta: N/A (2-5) 2-5
Doubles: Overall:
Blaydes/Ratiu: 10-5 (3-0) 13-5
Paulsell/Colby: 7-4 (4-5) 11-9
Perez Peña/Pinto Sansano: 5-5 (N/A) 5-5
Costa/Mahjoob: 2-3 (N/A) 2-3
Jacques/Mariencheck: 0-4 (N/A) 0-4
Ratiu/Vulpitta: N/A (2-0) 2-0
Blaydes/Pinto Sansano: N/A (3-1) 3-1
Perez Peña/Ratiu: N/A (2-4) 2-4
Perez Peña/Jacques: N/A (1-0) 1-0
Paulsell/Pinto Sansano: N/A (1-1) 1-1
Perez Pena/Vulpitta: N/A (2-0) 2-0
Colby/Ratiu: N/A (0-2) 0-2
*Arda Azkara, Cooper Johnson and Gabriele Vulpitta are entering their first semester with Georgia.
** Davis Taylor did not feature in ITA-sanctioned matches during the fall.
On The Cards: In the last 16 contests against Kentucky, Georgia owns a 10-6 record against the Wildcats, and head coach Cedric Kauffman's side has been ranked inside the top-15 in the nation for 11 of those match-ups. Last season, Kentucky beat Georgia in Lexington 4-1. The Wildcats took the doubles point with a clinching win on court one over No. 27 Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu. In singles, Ratiu grabbed his first third ranked win of the spring with a 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 124 Jaden Weekes to level the match at 1-all. The Wildcats responded with three successive wins, in order, on courts one, four and two to clinch the 4-1 victory.
The Bulldogs have won the last ten matchups with the Tigers, five of the wins coming as a sweep. Not only is LSU chasing its first win against Georgia in double-digit tries, but they are also chasing the first SEC win of the season. Last season, Georgia ran out 4-1 winners at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex over the Tigers. Blaydes/Ratiu grabbed a win on court one before Ryan Colby/Thomas Paulsell clinched doubles with a 6-2 victory on court two. In clinch singles, LSU kicked off clinch singles with its lone win on court six before the home side rattled off wins on court two by No. 58 Colby, court four by No. 81 Miguel Perez Peña, and court three by Ratiu to seal the result.
Last Time Out: Georgia dropped its first two SEC matches during the first road trip of the season at No. 25 Alabama and No. 45 Auburn.
Last Friday against the Tide, the Bulldogs impressed in doubles action with Miguel Perez Peña/Gabriele Vulpitta grabbing their first win as a pairing on court three against Roan Jones/Matias Ponce De Leon. Also in their first appearance as a pairing, Thomas Paulsell/Oscar Pinto Sansano grabbed their first win - a ranked win, at that - over No. 41 Filip Planinsek/Matic Kriznik 7(9)-6(7) on court one to hand the Bulldogs the doubles point. Into singles, No. 46 Ryan Colby went first to hand Georgia a 2-0 lead with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win on court two. The Tide responded with victories on courts five then one to level the match score at two-a-piece. Coming down to the final three courts, Alabama grabbed another win on court three. Pinto Sansano and Vulpitta remained in action for the Bulldogs on courts four and six, respectively, and the Spaniard dispatched his opponent on court four. Coming down to court six for the match, Vulpitta lost a tough second set tiebreaker before ultimately falling 6-2 in the third set to hand the home side the 4-3 win.
On Sunday at Auburn, after another win on court three by Perez Peña/
Vulpitta, the Tigers pounced on the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. The Bulldogs were never able to truly find their rhythm in singles play, with Auburn grabbing its first singles win on court five before No. 20 Paulsell gave Georgia its lone win on court three. The Tigers returned fire with wins on court four and six to clinch the match, 4-1, in favor of the home side.
Strong Starts from the Spaniards: Senior Miguel Perez Peña made his best start in dual match play of his career at 6-0 following the match against No. 5 Virginia. Perez Peña is now 7-1 after a career-high win in singles during the Tennessee match and beginning his stint on court one for the Bulldogs in conference play. Prior to this season, the Spaniards held a career-best start to the spring of 5-0 in 2023.
More, Perez Peña's 7-0 start includes appearances at courts one, two and three including two ranked wins against Wake Forest's No. 115 Ioannis Xilas – who has since improved to No. 56 in the nation – 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 and No. 16 Shunsuke Mitsui, 6-1, 6-3. Four of the senior's seven wins this spring came in straight set fashion.
Senior Oscar Pinto Sansano leads the team in singles wins this spring with ten. Sitting at 10-3, and recently having moved up to court four, every match that Pinto Sansano has won has come in straight sets up until his match-tying win on court four against Andrii Zimnokh for No. 25 Alabama.
Top 25 Wins: Since 2020, Georgia has amassed 32 top-25 wins in regular season and post-season play. A list of each top-25 victory is compiled below.
2020: 4-2 vs. No. 10 Tennessee, 4-0 vs. No. 3 Ohio State, 4-1 vs. No. 11 Ohio State
2021: 4-3 vs. No. 14 N.C. State, 5-2 vs. No. 22 Mississippi State, 4-2 vs. No. 21 UCF, 4-3 vs. No. 20 Kentucky, 4-2 vs. No. 8 Texas A&M, 4-0 vs. No. 25 Texas Tech, 4-3 vs. No. 6 North Carolina
2022: 4-3 vs. No. 16 N.C. State, 4-3 vs. No. 6 Texas, 5-2 vs. No. 23 Mississippi State, 4-3 vs. No. 14 South Carolina, 4-2 vs. No. 5 Tennessee, 4-0 vs. No. 9 Ole Miss, 5-2 vs. No. 18 Alabama
2023: 4-3 vs. No. 16 Stanford, 4-3 vs. No. 8 South Carolina, 4-2 vs. No. 6 USC, 6-1 vs. No. 14 Auburn, 4-3 vs. No. 18 Tennessee, 5-2 vs. No. 4 Kentucky, 4-0 vs. No. 5 South Carolina, 4-3 vs. No. 20 Florida, 6-1 vs. No. 20 Mississippi State, 7-0 vs. No. 25 Ole Miss, 4-0 vs. No. 24 Florida, 4-0 vs. No. 21 Texas A&M, 4-2 vs. No. 10 Harvard
2024: 5-2 vs. No. 21 Alabama
2025 (so far): 4-2 vs. No. 16 Tennessee
Award-Winning: Following the first week of action, sophomore Niels Ratiu was announced as the first SEC men's tennis player of the week for the 2025 season.
Ratiu was efficient in the home openers for the Bulldogs. In singles play, Ratiu dispatched Mercer's Fouilhoux on court four in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 earning Georgia it's second singles point of the match. In the second match, Ratiu moved up to court two for the Bulldogs, blanking his opponent, Presbyterian's Pedro Cardoso, in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 – the Bulldogs' first singles point of the match. Ratiu's appearance on court two against Presbyterian is his fourth career appearance in the position for Georgia. In doubles play, Ratiu maintained his court one presence from his freshman season playing alongside freshman Gabriele Vulpitta. The duo earned their first two wins over Mercer's No. 55 Stefanovic/Fouilhoux and Presbyterian's Mamalat/Vasilakis winning both matches 6-0. With the win over No. 55 Stefanovic/Fouilhoux, Ratiu now has 13 career ranked doubles wins and his first with Vulpitta.
Rank the Dawgs: Three Bulldogs are settled in the latest ITA singles rankings that released Tuesday, Mar. 4.
Leading off, Thomas Paulsell nestles No. 26, immediately followed by Ryan Colby at No. 27 - career high nod for the senior. Miguel Perez Peña jumped up to No. 32 in this week's edition, also a career-high singles ranking.
In doubles, Paulsell/Colby come in at No. 14 - tying their career-high ranking
individually and as a pairing. Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu remain in the top-25 at No. 23 with the Spanish duo of Perez Peña/Oscar Pinto Sansano finding themselves at No. 47.
Across the SEC: As of Wednesday, Mar. 5, 10 players in the SEC have at least 10 singles wins in dual match action with senior Oscar Pinto Sansano joining those ranks. Pinto Sansano, who is currently 10-3, has matched his best start to spring play that he set as a junior at VCU. A list of all SEC athletes with 10 or more singles wins in spring is compiled below:
Filip Planinsek, Alabama 10-0
Lukas Palovic, Arkansas 11-4
Jakub Vrba, Arkansas 10-1
Oscar Pinto Sansano, Georgia 10-3
Julien Penzlin, LSU 10-1
Matthieu Chambonniere, Ole Miss 10-1
Niccolo Baroni, Mississippi State 10-1
Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes, Mississippi State 10-1
Pierre Yves-Bailly, Texas 10-0
Shunsuke Mitsui, Tennessee 10-2
New Faces, New Places: The Bulldogs welcomed three new faces to Athens for the 2025 season, with a key signing for the fall 2025 class.
VCU transfer Oscar Pinto Sansano joined the ranks for the fall campaign. Pinto Sansano began his collegiate career at Arkansas and compiled a 7-14 singles dual match record before spending transferring to VCU for two seasons. With VCU, Pinto Sansano held a 20-5 overall singles dual match record and was ranked as high as No. 31 in ITA doubles ranking. Prior to his collegiate career, he was regarded as the No. 53 junior in UTR world rankings.
In January, Grand Slam champion Gabriele Vulpitta arrived in Athens for the 2025 season and beyond. Vulpitta, a native of Rome, Italy, boasts an impressive resume with a junior doubles title at Wimbledon, as well as finishing as a 2023 junior doubles Roland Garros finalist. He also held career-high ATP rankings of No. 747 in doubles and No. 1168 in singles with a Universal Tennis Rating of 13.23. More, New Mexico transfer Arda Azkara now dons the red and black. Azkara compiled 50 singles wins with the Lobos and was named the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year in 2022. After his sophomore and junior seasons, Azkara became the first Mountain West player to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors since Oliver Maiberger of San Diego State University from 2001-2003. The Turkish native recorded an 11-0 record at No. 1 singles for the Lobos last season and holds a 13.15 Universal Tennis Rating. Georgia native Cooper Johnson will join the Bulldogs in January. Johnson holds career-high recruiting rankings of No. 1 in the state of Georgia and No. 21 nationally. He holds a Universal Tennis Rating of 11.9 with a 3-2 record against other five-star recruits. Johnson also holds an ITF junior ranking of 3,157 and an ITF World Tennis Number of 16.5
Blue-chip recruit and Anderson, S.C. native Noah Johnston signed with Georgia for the fall of 2025, head coach Jamie Hunt announced last fall. The former No. 1 overall recruit in the nation holds a 5-5 record against fellow blue-chip prospects and a career-high ITF junior ranking of 50. Johnston has recent singles and
doubles wins at the J200 Tampico, a doubles championship at the J300 Barranquilla, and a doubles championship at the J300 San Jose while also featuring in the junior doubles draw of the 144th edition of the U.S. Open.
Head Coach Jamie Hunt: Jamie Hunt, who was part of Georgia's 2007 and 2008 NCAA National Championship teams as a player and served seven years on the Georgia men's tennis staff as an associate head coach, was tabbed to lead the Bulldogs' men's tennis program on Feb. 27, 2024.
Since returning to Athens in 2017, Hunt has twice been named the ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year and helped the Bulldogs capture the 2023 SEC Championship with a perfect league record.
Hunt played for Coach Diaz from 2007-2010 and helped lead Georgia to a pair of national championships. Following his playing career, Hunt made his way to Nashville to become an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
Hunt was a star tennis player and leader for the Bulldogs' tennis program from 2007 through 2010. His 116 singles wins rank 12th all-time in school history for the four-time All-SEC selection, while his combined singles and doubles record of 238-80 ranks third in the Georgia record book.
Hunt and his wife Kyndal Edwards Hunt met as seniors at the University of Georgia and have five children: Daughter Blakely, son Hayes, twins -- daughter Macy and son Hudson -- and son Ford.
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.
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