Austin – No. 7 Texas Men's Tennis downed 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 with two of those coming against top-15 opponents.
Texas claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1, including clinching at No. 1 in a dramatic tiebreaker, along with singles victories by junior No. 13 Siem Woldeab at No. 3, sophomore Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 2 and junior No. 3 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1 to clinch the overall match. The Longhorns defeated the Bulldogs by the same score in Austin in their last meeting in 2020.
The win for Spizzirri was over No. 1 Ethan Quinn, who had defeated Spizzirri the previous two times they played dating back to fall tournament play, but after the first set went to Quinn in a tiebreaker, it was all Spizzirri from there as he bested the top-ranked 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 on a deuce point for a 3-1 lead, but Spizzirri would eventually get the break back at 4-4 and followed with a deuce-point win his first lead. That was the start of the last four games remaining on serve to the tiebreaker with Spizzirri also holding on a deuce point at 6-5. In the breaker, Quinn jumped out to a 3-0 edge, and after the players exchanged points to 4-1, Spizzirri used a 4-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. Quinn was able to pull off another 3-0 run to close the set, but the next two sets would be a different story. In the second, Spizzirri broke on a deuce point and held for a 2-0 lead, and after Quinn got one game back on serve, Spizzirri won the next three on deuce points to set him off on an 8-0 run that established him with a 4-0 lead in the third. Quinn got one game back with a deuce-point break after that, but Spizzirri finished with the final two games, including a deuce-point hold for the win.
Not long before that, Bailly had also gathered a top-10 win by downing 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 on deuce points for a 4-2 lead that he extended to 5-2 with a break. That started a string of three-straight breaks by the players to Bailly's win. In the second set, it would be Henning who would break first, using a deuce-point win for a 2-1 lead. That started a run of six-straight breaks, four of which were decided at deuce. Bailly finally ended that string with a hold at 5-4 with the next two games also staying on serve before Bailly broke in the last for his win that had put Texas up 3-0.
Once again, Woldeab had been first off the singles court with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 70 Teodor Giusca. Woldeab opened with a break and hold for a 2-0 lead, but Giusca held and broke on deuce points to even it. The players then exchanged 3-0 runs starting with Woldeab before he closed with two more games for the set. The first four games of the second set stayed on serve with each player winning on a deuce point. Giusca's came in the opening game, while Woldeab's evened it at 2-2 before he got the first break at 3-2 and pushed to 4-2 on serve. Giusca answered with the next two games to tie it, but the following two went to Woldeab for his win.
In between the Longhorns' three wins, the Bulldogs had claimed one by No. 21 Blake Croyder over senior Chih Chi Huang, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 5 that briefly cut the Texas lead to 3-1. In the first set, Huang used a 4-0 run, including two deuce points, to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead. Croyder got one game back on serve on a deuce point, but Huang closed on his serve for the win. In the second, it was Croyder who got out of the gate with a 4-0 run, the last three of which came on deuce points. Huang stopped the stretch with a deuce-point break and held to get within 4-2, but the final three games were on serve to give the frame to Croyder. Huang began the third set with a deuce-point hold, but Croyder broke his next serve on a deuce point to lead, 2-1, before extending to 3-1 with a hold. Huang claimed the next two games to tie it, with the second one starting a string of four consecutive breaks before Croyder snapped it and held for the 6-4 win.
The last two singles matches were both went three sets, with both completed after the clinch and both going to Georgia. Junior Cleeve Harper's match against No. 106 Trent Bryde finished as a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 decision for Bryde at No. 4. After Harper held on a deuce point in the opening game, Bryde tallied a 3-0 run for an early lead. Harper evened it at 3-3 with a deuce-point break, but the next two games went to Bryde for a lead he maintained to take the set. Harper again held on a deuce-point to begin the second, and it was followed by a 3-0 run, but this time it was Harper's to give him a 4-0 advantage. The last four games were all breaks, beginning and ending with a deuce-point win by each player with final one being Harper's for the set. In the third, Bryde got the first break, which came on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead that he consolidated at 3-1. Harper got one game back on a deuce-point hold for 3-2, but Bryde completed the match with a 3-0 run.
The final contest had junior No. 104 Evin McDonald against Miguel Perez Pena with Perez Pena coming out on top, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. In the first set, McDonald secured breaks at 1-0 and 5-2 and had a deuce-point hold at 3-1 in between those. Perez Pena came back with his first break and added a hold to pull within 5-4, but McDonald closed the set on serve after that. McDonald was also the first to break in the second set for a 2-1 lead that he upped to 3-1 on serve. However, Perez Pena responded with a 3-0 run that he capped with a deuce-point hold to regain the lead. He also held his next serve on a deuce point for 5-4 before collecting another break to win the set. In the third, Perez Pena broke in the second game on a deuce point for a 3-0 edge. McDonald got the break back on a deuce point to trail 4-3 to begin a stretch of three-straight deuce-point breaks by the players until Perez Pena added on one more non-deuce break to end the match.
High drama capped the doubles points earlier in the day after Georgia won first at No. 3, and Texas answered at No. 2. That left it to No. 1 where the No. 7 duo of Harper and Spizzirri prevailed in a tiebreaker over the No. 19 pair of Quinn and Bryde, 7-6 (4). The match stayed on serve up to a 4-3 lead for the Bulldogs with Quinn and Bryde winning deuce points to maintain their serves at 2-1 and 4-3. They then used another deuce point to break for a 5-3 lead, but the Longhorns answered with a break to put the match back on course. From there, the serves held to a tiebreaker where Texas struck first with a mini-break at 3-1, and it turned out to be the only one they would need as the rest of the frame stayed on serve to their win and a 1-0 lead for Texas.
Just prior to that, Woldeab and Bailly mounted a 6-4 comeback win over Giusca and Henning. The Bulldogs used a deuce-point break for a 2-1 lead that they extended to 3-1 on serve. The Longhorns got the break back at 3-3 and retook the lead at 4-3, and it appeared as if they were in position for another break, but Georgia rallied to hold its serve and tie it at 4-4. After Texas held its serve for 5-4, Woldeab and Bailly made their own mid-game rally to force a deuce point that Bailly put away for the win.
In the other doubles match, Croyder and Britton Johnston were first off the court, downing Huang and junior Eshan Talluri, 6-2. With the first four games staying on serve, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run for their win.
Texas returns to the court for the ITA Kickoff Weekend from Jan. 28-29. The Longhorns first host Cal on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center.
#7 Texas 4, #12 Georgia 3
Singles – Order of Finish (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 Siem Woldeab (UT) def. #70 Teodor 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. Chih 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
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,2,1)
1. #7 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. #19 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) 7-6 (4)
2. Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. Teodor Giusca/Philip Henning (UGA) 6-4
3. #55 Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) def. Eshan Talluri/Chih Chi Huang (UT) 6-2
