No. 7 Men’s Tennis Folds No. 12 Georgia, 4-3

Austin Well. 7 Texas Men’s Tennis fell to No. 12 Georgia, 4-3, in front of a packed crowd at the Texas Tennis Center on Sunday. The Longhorns are now 3-0 to start the season against two of their top 15 opponents.

Texas clinched the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1, including a No. 1 seed in a dramatic semifinal, and the junior’s 13th singles win Hi Woldeab No. 3, sophomore Pierre-Yves Bailly No. 2 and Junior No. 3 Eliot Spizzirri 1 to win the overall match. The Longhorns beat the Bulldogs by the same score in Austin in their last meeting in 2020.

Spizzirri beat No. 1 seed Ethan Quinn, who had beaten Spizzirri in his previous two matches during the fall tournament, but after the first set went to Quinn in a tiebreaker, it was all Spizzirri from there as he did his best. top player, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1. Quinn broke Spizzirri in the opening game of the match and followed with a hold for a 2-0 lead. Quinn was also able to hold his next serve for two points to take a 3-1 lead, but Spizzirri finally got the break back at 4-4 before taking his first lead with two points. That started the last four games remaining in the semifinals, with Spizzirri also holding the second point at 6-5. On the break, Quinn jumped out to a 3-0 run, and after the players traded points to make it 4-1, Spizzirri used a 4-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. Quinn managed to pull off another 3-0 run to end the set, but the next two sets would be a different story. In the second, Spizzirri broke from deuce point for a 2-0 lead, and after Quinn got one game back on serve, Spizzirri won the next three on deuce points to get to him on an 8-0 run that cemented him. 4-0 lead in the third period. Quinn got one game back with two points after that, but Spizzirri closed out the final two games, including winning the second point.

Shortly before that, Bailly had also collected a top-10 win by defeating No. 10 Philip Henning 6-3, 7-5. Henning won the opening game on serve, but Bailly responded by taking the next three games and four of the next five for two points to take a 4-2 lead, which he extended to 5-2 at the break. This started a streak of three consecutive breaks by the players for Bailly’s win. In the second set, Henning would be the first to break, using the victory of the second point to take a 2-1 lead. That started a run of six straight breaks, four of which were decided by the second. Bailly eventually ended that streak at 5-4, with the next two games also held on serve before Bailly broke in his final victory that had put Texas up 3-0.

Once again, Woldeab had been the first in the singles field, beating 70. Teodor Giuscan 7-5, 6-4. Woldeab opened up on the break and held on for a 2-0 lead, but Giusca held and broke with double points to level it. The players then traded 3-0 runs starting with Woldeab before he closed out the set with two more games. The first four games of the second set remained on offer, with each player winning by a deuce point. Giusca came in the opener while Woldeab leveled at 2-2 before getting the first break at 3-2 and pushing to 4-2 serve. Giusca responded with a draw in the next two games, but the next two went to Woldeab for the win.

Between the Longhorns’ three wins, the Bulldogs had picked up No. 21 over senior Blake Croyder. Chi Chi Huang, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, No. 5, which briefly cut Texas’ lead to 3-1. In the first set, Huang used a 4-0 run that included two deuce points to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead. Croyder got one game back on serve with deuce point, but Huang closed her serve for the win. In the second inning, Croyder got out of the gate on a 4-0 run, the last three of which came on doubles. Huang broke down the stretch with a break of the second point and held to pull away for 4-2, but the final three games provided the frame for Croyder. Huang opened the third set with two points, but Croyder broke his next serve with two points for a 2-1 lead before going on to hold for 3-1. Huang claimed a draw in the next two games, the second starting a run of four straight breaks before Croyder grabbed it to hold on for a 6-4 win.

The last two singles matches had both gone in three sets and both were decided after a clinical and both went to Georgia. Junior by Cleeve Harper match against No. 106 Trent Bryde ended with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 decision for Bryde in the No. 4. After Harper held deuce point in the opening match, Bryde made it 3-0. early lead. Harper leveled the score at 3-3 at deuce point, but the next two games went to Bryde, which she held on to take the set. Harper again held deuce to start the second and a 3-0 run followed, but this time Harper had to give him a 4-0 advantage. The final four games were all breaks that began and ended with a two-point win by each player, with the last being a set by Harper. In the third set, Bryde got the first break, which came with a double point for a 2-1 lead, which he extended to 3-1. Harper got one game back to win the second point 3-2, but Bryde finished the match with a 3-0 run.

In the last race there was junior no. 104 Evin McDonald Miguel Perez vs. Pena, with Perez Pena coming out on top, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. In the first set, McDonald secured breaks 1-0 and 5-2 and got two points 3-1 between them. Perez Pena came back with his first break and extended the hold to pull within 5-4, but McDonald closed out the set after that. McDonald was also the first to break in the second set for a 2-1 lead, which he extended to 3-1 in the bid. However, Perez Pena responded with a 3-0 run that he capped with two runs to regain the lead. He also held his next serve at deuce point 5-4 before collecting another break to win the set. In the third, Perez Pena broke through in the second game with a double for a 3-0 lead. McDonald got the break back with a deuce point to make it 4-3 to start a streak of three straight deuce points by the Players until Perez Pena added another non-deuce point to end the match.

High drama capped the doubles scoring earlier in the day after Georgia won first at No. 3 and Texas responded at No. 2. That left it at No. 1, with the No. 7 duo of Harper and Spizzirri winning in the semifinals. No. 19 pair of Quinn and Bryde, 7-6 (4). The match continued on serve until the Bulldogs took a 4-3 lead as Quinn and Bryde won double points to keep their serves tied at 2-1 and 4-3. They then used another deuce point to take a 5-3 lead, but the Longhorns responded at the break and put the match back on course. From there, the serving streak continued into the tying game, where Texas struck first on a mini-break at 3-1, which turned out to be the only one they needed as they stayed on serves for the win and 1 the rest of the frame. -0 leads to Texas.

Just before that, Woldeab and Bailly had a 6-4 comeback victory over Giusca and Henning. The Bulldogs used a two-point break to take a 2-1 lead, which they extended to a 3-1 run. The Longhorns regained the break at 3-3 and retook the lead at 4-3, and it looked as if they would be in position for another break, but Georgia rallied to hold serve and tie the game at 4-4. With Texas holding the serve at 5-4, Woldeab and Bailly made a play of their own up the middle for a double that Bailly gave up for the win.

At second doubles, Croyder and Britton Johnston were first off the field, knocking off Huang and the junior. Ishaan Talluri, 6-2. With the first four games remaining in the bid, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to win.

Texas returns to the field for ITA Kickoff Weekend on the 28th-29th. January. The Longhorns host Cal in the first at 11 a.m. CT Saturday at the Texas Tennis Center.

#7 Texas 4, #12 Georgia 3

One goal order (3,2,5,1,4,6)
1. #3 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. #1 Ethan Quinn (UGA) 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1
2. Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. #10 Philip Henning (UGA) 6-3, 7-5
3. #13 Hi Woldeab (UT) def. #70 Theodore Giusca (UGA) 7-5, 6-4
4. #106 Trent Bryde (UGA) def. Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
5. #21 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Chi Chi Huang (UT) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) def. #104 Evin McDonald (UT) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Double order (3,2,1)
1. #7 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (OUT) def. #19 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) 7-6 (4)
2. Hi Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. Theodore Giusca/Philip Henning (UGA) 6-4
3. #55 Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) def. Ishaan Talluri/Chi Chi Huang (UT) 6-2