The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Georgia
No. 9 Men’s Tennis downs No. 38 Georgia, 4-3
03.14.2024 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns cliched the match at 4-1 on the way to the road win in Athens.
Athens, Ga. – No. 9 Texas Men's Tennis (11-3) claimed a 4-3 victory on the road at No. 38 Georgia (7-8) on Wednesday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Longhorns clinched at 4-1 before the 4-3 final.
After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, Texas captured singles wins from senior No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, freshman Lucas Brown at No. 6, and senior No. 2 Micah Braswell at No. 2 for the victory.
In doubles, the tandem of seniors Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab finished first by taking down Niels Ratiu and Freddy Blaydes, 6-3, at No. 1. Texas picked up the only break of the match for 3-1 and then consolidated for a 4-1 lead on the way to the win.
On No. 3, Micah Braswell and Cleeve Harper clinched the doubles point with a 6-1 win over Cyrus Mahjoob and Miguel Perez Peña. After both teams held to open the match, Texas went on a 5-0 run that was kicked off with a big deuce-point hold followed by a deuce-point break for 3-1. Texas earned another deuce-point break for 5-1 before serving for the match and capitalizing.
At No. 2, Pierre-Yves Bailly and Gilles-Arnaud Bailly took on Ryan Colby and Thomas Paulsell. The match marked the first time the Bailly brothers played as a doubles team as Longhorns. The brothers got out to a 2-1 lead, but Georgia earned a deuce-point hold to even things up at 2-2 before they continued their run, eventually going up 5-2 on a deuce-point break. Texas had just pulled within 5-4 when play was stopped.
In singles play, Brown was the first to finish, registering a 6-1, 6-4 win over Blaydes on No. 6. Brown held to open the first set and then earned a deuce-point break and another hold to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Blaydes managed to hold once to avoid the bagel, but Brown went on a second 3-0 run without reaching a deuce point to close out the first set. The second set stayed on serve through a deuce-point hold for Brown for 3-3 that triggered a 3-0 run for Brown to put him up a break, 5-3. Blaydes held on his ensuing serve, but was unable to get the break back, and Brown served out match to put Texas up 2-0.
A few minutes later, Spizzirri got Texas within one point of clinching as he closed out a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 82 Paulsell at No. 1. The first set stayed on serve, including two deuce-point holds for Paulsell, until Spizzirri broke first to go up, 4-3. Paulsell answered with a deuce-point break to tie it, 4-4, but Spizzirri did the same on the ensuing game to go back up, 5-4, before serving out the set. In the second, Spizzirri kept his momentum and opened with a 4-0 run before Paulsell managed to win two consecutive games for 4-2. However, Spizzirri took the next two games to clinch the match and put Texas up in the overall score, 3-0.
Texas suffered their first loss of the evening on No. 3 as Ratiu defeated Gilles-Arnaud Bailly 7-6 (1), 6-4. The first set was a back-and-forth battle with eight out of the 12 games decided by deuce points. After Ratiu opened with a deuce-point hold, Bailly answered with the same and a deuce-point break before holding again to go up 3-1. However, Ratiu began a 3-0 run that included two deuce-point wins to retake the lead, 4-3. Both players held on deuce points as Ratiu stayed on top, 5-4, before Bailly managed to hold and get a deuce-point break to go up 6-5 and serve for the set. Ratui spoiled Bailly's opportunity with a break to even it, 6-6, and head to a tiebreaker. After Ratiu earned the first two points, Bailly got one back to make it 2-1, but it was all Ratui from there, as he closed it out, 7-1. In the second set, both players stayed on serve until Bailly went up a break on a deuce point for 4-2. However, Ratiu answered with a 4-0 run that included two deuce-point wins at 3-4 and 5-4 to close out the second set 6-4 and win the match.
On No. 2, Micah Braswell clinched the win for Texas with a thrilling three-set 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over No. 65 Colby. In the first set, Braswell had four chances to earn a deuce-point break, but Colby fought off all four of them to preserve the lead he had established with a break for 3-2 en route to a 6-4 first-set win. The players traded breaks to open the second set, and Colby claimed the next one on a deuce point for a 3-2 lead. He won on another deuce point for 5-3 to get within one game of winning the match, but Braswell fought back with a hold and then fought off two match points to earn a deuce-point break to tie things, 5-5. From there, the set went to a tiebreaker where Braswell jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Colby managed to get two points back, but it was not enough, and Braswell forced a third set. Braswell got off to a 2-0 lead in the third set before Colby answered with a 3-0 run that included a deuce-point win to go up 3-2. The set then stayed on serve until Braswell broke on a deuce point for 5-4, but Colby answered the break to make it 5-5. Braswell again broke at deuce for a 6-5 lead, and this time served out the set to clinch the match and victory for Texas.
With the team win secured, Jonah Braswell retired from his match against Perez Peña on No. 5 due to injury. Up to that point it had been a tight match, with Braswell winning the first set 7-6 (6) and the second set in the midst of yet another tiebreaker when his older brother clinched the match for Texas. Braswell had held a 4-0 lead in the second set before Perez Peña rallied to force the tiebreaker, but Braswell paused with the score tied, 1-1, in the breaker. He attempted to return, but managed to play just two more points before retiring, giving Perez Peña the win.
In the final match to finish, Harper fell to Mahjoob, 1-6, 7-6 (9), 7-5, to give the Bulldogs their third win of the evening. Harper got off to a fast start and jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set. Mahjoob got one game back to avoid the shutout in the set, but Harper prevailed, 6-1. The second set stayed on serve until Mahjoob earned a break to go up, 4-3, but Harper answered with a deuce-point break to get it right back. The set went to a breaker in which neither player was willing to relent, and despite Harper having four match points during the frame, Mahjoob fended them off and managed to take the breaker, 11-9, to win the second set. The third set was another back-and-forth contest, and the players found themselves knotted, 5-5, but Mahjoob was able to break and then serve for the match to earn the win.
#9 Texas 4, #38 Georgia 3
Singles – Order of Finish (6,1,3,2,4,5)
1. #1 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. #82 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 6-4, 6-2
2. #2 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #65 Ryan Colby (UGA) 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5
3. Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. #48 Gilles-Arnaud Bailly (UT) 7-6 (1), 6-4
4. #100 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) def. Jonah Braswell (UT) 6-7 (6), 6-6 (3-1), ret.
5. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) def. Cleeve Harper (UT) 1-6, 7-6 (9), 7-5
6. Lucas Brown (UT) def. Freddy Blaydes (UGA) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3)
1. Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu (UGA) 6-3
2. Ryan Colby/Thomas Paulsell (UGA) vs. Pierre-Yves Bailly/Gilles-Arnaud Bailly (UT) 5-4, unf.
3. Micah Braswell/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Cyrus Mahjoob/Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) 6-1
Players Mentioned
