NCAA Men’s Tennis: Bulldogs Beat Bama & Earn Number One Seed

Ben Wagland, Photo courtesy of University of Georgia

The third-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team concluded the regular season with a 5-2 win over No. 33 Alabama at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Sunday.

The match began outdoors, but was moved to the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility due to rain following the doubles point. The Bulldogs (19-4, 11-1 SEC), who last week clinched the 27th SEC regular season title in program history, will enter the postseason on a 10-match winning streak.

The Georgia women also clinched a share of the SEC championship on Sunday. This marks the fourth time overall and the first time since 2007 that both the UGA men’s and women’s teams won the SEC title in the same season.

“Alabama came out and played very hard in doubles, and it was probably one of the most exciting doubles points we’ve had all year,” UGA coach Manuel Diaz said. “We needed to rest our No. 1 doubles team, and we got that accomplished. This was one of the most difficult weeks of preparation as we had six guys struck with the stomach virus. Our practices never went longer than 45 minutes to an hour. I’m really proud of how our guys battled this week. To come out with two good wins like we did, I’m very pleased.”

Alabama (12-12, 3-9 SEC) took a 1-0 lead with doubles wins at Nos. 1 and 2. The Tide’s 30th-ranked tandem of Jarryd Botha and David Vieyra beat No. 24 Garrett Brasseaux and Nathan Pasha, 8-4, then Alabama clinched the point at No. 2 where Becker O’Shaugnessey and Daniil Proskura edged Will Oliver and Hernus Pieters, 9-7. The match at No. 3 was suspended when the doubles point was clinched.

Seventh-ranked Singh gave Georgia its first point with a 6-1, 7-5 win over No. 79 Botha at No. 1, then the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead when No. 121 Pieters downed Philippe Tsangarides, 6-4, 6-2. No. 44 Pasha made it 3-1 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Proskura at No. 2, then Brasseaux recorded his third match-clincher with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Stuart Kenyon at No. 5.

At No. 3, O’Shaughnessey outlasted Austin Smith, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, then Marco Nunez closed out the match with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Harris Barnard at No. 6 for the final margin.

Georgia improved to 12-0 at home this season with the win. Sunday’s match also marked the final regular season home contests for seniors Oliver and Singh, who were honored during a pre-match ceremony.

“Home matches have been awesome,” Singh said. “The support here is always incredible. I’m going to miss having this many people come to our matches and support us. It’s been awesome.”

The Bulldogs won the 2013 Southeastern Conference regular season title with an 11-1 conference record and will enter next week’s SEC Championships as the top seed and will enjoy a first-round bye. The tournament is set for April 17-21 at Ole Miss’ Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford, Miss.

Georgia will take on the winner of the No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Mississippi match in Friday’s quarterfinals at 7 p.m. EDT. The Bulldogs defeated both teams earlier this season. Live scoring and the Georgia Tennis Live Chat will be available throughout the Bulldogs’ run in the tournament. The semifinals are set for Sat., April 20 and the finals for Sun., April 21.

The Bulldogs are currently ranked third nationally with a 19-4 overall record and their 11-1 SEC mark, in the midst of a 10-match winning streak entering the postseason. Georgia concluded the regular season with a weekend sweep of Auburn and Alabama this weekend. Georgia won the 2012 SEC Championships with a win over UK in the final in Starkville, Mississippi. – the program’s eighth tournament title. The Bulldogs now own 35 overall SEC championships.

Singles

1. #7 KU Singh (UG) def. #79 Jarryd Botha (UA) 6-1, 7-5

2. #44 Nathan Pasha (UG) def. Daniil Proskura (UA) 6-4, 6-1

3. #98 B. O’Shaughnessey (UA) def. Austin Smith (UG), 7-5, 3-6, 7-5

4. #121 Hernus Pieters (UG) def. Philippe Tsangarides (UA) 6-4, 6-2

5. Garrett Brasseaux (UG) def. Stuart Kenyon (UA), 6-0, 6-0

6. Marco Nunez (UG) def. Harris Barnard (UA), 6-1, 6-4

Doubles

1. #30 Jarryd Botha/David Vieyra (UA) def. #24 Garrett Brasseaux/Nathan Pasha (UG), 8-4

2. #58 B. O’Shaughnessey/Daniil Proskura (UA) def. Will Oliver/Hernus Pieters (UG), 9-7

3. Eric Diaz/Marco Nunez (UG) vs. Stuart Kenyon/Philippe Tsangarides (UA), 8-8, unfinished