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No. 12 Men’s Tennis downed at No. 15 Georgia, 4-3
03.01.2022 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns come up just short after posting three singles wins, along with two match points in an additional match.
Athens, Ga. – No. 12 Texas Men's Tennis came up just short at No. 15 Georgia, 4-3, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on Tuesday.
The Longhorns posted singles wins from sophomore Eliot Spizzirri at No. 4, sophomore No. 72 Micah Braswell at No. 2, and senior No. 114 Richard Ciamarra at No. 3, along with having two match points in a third-set tiebreaker for sophomore No. 104 Siem Woldeab at No. 6 that Georgia was able to fend off to make the clinching match come down to No. 1.
After the Bulldogs claimed the doubles point, Spizzirri was first off the court in singles with a straight-sets 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 79 Trent Bryde. Spizzirri used two early breaks to jump out to a 3-0 lead, and although Bryde got one of the breaks back and held to within 3-2, the rest of the set stayed on serve with one deuce win for each player leading to Spizzirri's 6-4 win. In the second, Bryde opened with a hold, but Spizzirri set out on a 5-0 run that included taking a 2-1 lead on a deuce-point break. Bryde used back-to-back deuce point wins to start a 3-0 run to get within 5-4, but Spizzirri closed on serve for the match and to even the overall score at 1-1.
Following that, Georgia registered the next two singles wins to extend to a 3-1 lead. The first was a 6-4, 6-4 decision for No. 76 Blake Croyder over sophomore Cleeve Harper at No. 5. The first four games stayed on serve until Croyder broke for a 3-2 lead. Harper broke back on a deuce point and held to retake the lead, but a deuce-point hold for Croyder in the next game started a 3-0 run to give him the set. In the second, Croyder opened with a deuce-point break to start of string of seven-consecutive breaks, the last two of which were at deuce, that left him with a 4-3 lead. Croyder finally ended the string with a hold at 5-3 and the last two games also stayed on serve to the final.
The next match to finish had the potential to swing the overall score in the Longhorns' favor as it came down to a tight third-set tiebreaker with Thomas Paulsell surviving against Woldeab, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7). Each player produced a decisive set that featured a 5-0 run with the first going to Paulsell and the second to Woldeab to send it to the third where it became a back-and-forth contest. Woldeab began it with a break before the next three games all went to deuce with Paulsell taking the first on a break, and Woldeab the next two on a break and a hold for a 3-1 lead. However, Paulsell then went on a 3-0 run to put the set back on serve where it stayed to the tiebreaker. There, Woldeab secured the first two points, while Paulsell answered with four straight, but Woldeab took four of the next five to set himself up with a 6-5 lead and the first of two match points. Paulsell fought that one off to even it, and after Woldeab took the next point for his second match point at 7-6, Paulsell strung together three straight to capture the tiebreaker at 9-7.
Despite that, Texas still had opportunities in all three remaining matches, and Braswell quickly capitalized on his for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 47 Tristan McCormick. In the first set, Braswell held his opening serve and then broke for a 2-0 lead, but McCormick answered the break and held on a deuce point to even it. The next four games stayed on serve with McCormick closing that stretch with a deuce-point hold for 4-4 before he picked up another break for the lead and held for the win. McCormick opened the next set with a break, but Braswell responded with one of his own on a deuce point to start a streak of five-straight deuce-point games. With the next three all resulting in holds, Braswell used the last to break for a 4-2 lead as part of a 4-0 run that he completed with another deuce-point break for the win. Deuce points continued to be a big part of the match going into the third set, including three of the first four games, however they all stayed on serve. Braswell then mirrored his 4-0 run that ended the second with another of 4-0 that also included two deuce-point breaks for his win.
At that point, Ciamarra had built a solid lead in his third set en route to a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over No. 79 Philip Henning. Ciamarra collected a deuce-point break in the second game to open the match on a 3-0 run. Henning's next service game also went to deuce, but Henning won that along with a break in the next game to pull back to 3-2. The next two games were both deuce-point breaks with Henning's serving as the beginning of a 4-0 run that included deuce-point wins in the last two games, as well. In the second, Henning used a break to take a 3-2 lead that he then turned into 4-2 with a deuce-point hold. However, Ciamarra rallied and got the break back at 4-4, held at 5-4 and had a deuce set point, but Henning was able to hold that with the next two games also staying on serve to a tiebreaker. Henning grabbed the first point there on a mini-break, but the next four belonged to Ciamarra, and although Henning twice got back within one, Ciamarra never relinquished the lead to a 7-5 win. In the third, it was all Ciamarra, as he won five of the first six games with Henning only holding to trail 2-1 in that stretch. Henning got one more hold on a deuce point at 5-2, but Ciamarra finished it on serve to even the overall match at 3-3.
That left it to court 1 where freshman No. 17 Pierre-Yves Bailly was facing No. 22 Hamish Stewart. Bailly bookended the first set with deuce-point holds, along with taking the only break of the frame at 3-1 on his way to a 6-3 win. The second set also stayed on serve starting with Stewart all the way to a 5-4 lead for him when he finally broke through with a deuce-point win for the set's only break. That put it in a third set, which was the opposite of the first two and featured six breaks in the eight games. After Stewart held in the first game, the next five were all breaks, including one deuce-point win for each player at 2-1 and 3-1 in favor of Stewart. The streak left Stewart with a 4-2 lead when he finally held to extend to 5-2 and then broke again for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 final that clinched it for Georgia.
Earlier in doubles, the Bulldogs had registered a pair of 6-2 wins at Nos. 2 and 3 to take the point. In the match at No. 2, the No. 41 duo of Bryde and Henning defeated Woldeab and Bailly, while at No. 3, it was the No. 42 pair of Croyder and Erik Grevelius over Braswell and junior Chih Chi Huang. In the remaining match at No. 1, the No. 60 duo of Stewart and McCormick were leading No. 38 Ciamarra and Harper, 4-3, when play stopped.
The Longhorns' next match will also be on the road with a visit to College Station to face No. 18 Texas A&M on Wednesday, March 9, at 6 p.m. CT.
#15 Georgia 4, #12 Texas 3
Singles – Order of Finish (4,5,6,2,3,1)
1. #22 Hamish Stewart (UGA) def. #17 Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. #72 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #47 Tristan McCormick (UGA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. #114 Richard Ciamarra (UT) def. #79 Philip Henning (UGA) 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2
4. Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. #44 Trent Bryde (UGA) 6-4, 6-4
5. #76 Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-4, 6-4
6. Thomas Paulsell (UGA) def. #104 Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7)
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,3)
1. #60 Hamish Stewart/Tristan McCormick (UGA) vs. #38 Cleeve Harper/Richard Ciamarra (UT) 4-3, unf.
2. #41 Trent Bryde/Philip Henning (UGA) def. Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) 6-2
3. #42 Blake Croyder/Erik Grevelius (UGA) def. Micah Braswell/Chih Chi Huang (UT) 6-2
Players Mentioned
