UGA Men’s Tennis beats No. 18 Kentucky

ATHENS, Ga. — Redshirt freshman Alex Diaz clinched a thrilling 4-3 victory for the Georgia Bulldog men's tennis team over the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats to conclude the regular season at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Sunday afternoon.

The No. 25 Bulldogs (12-9, 5-7) earned their second-straight win against a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent, capping off the final weekend with wins over the Wildcats and No. 22 Vanderbilt.

“We showed resilience and toughness to kind of hang in there and make a match out of every single court. We just persevered and that’s all we can do at this time,” Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz said. “Great job by Alex [Diaz] today pulling that one out against a veteran player and in a tough situation and tough atmosphere. Having both teams right there in the pressure of the moment, he did very well.”

Georgia contended closely in doubles play against the Wildcats. The 15th-ranked pair of sophomore Robert Loeb and junior Jan Zielinski matched Kentucky’s No. 36 duo of Cesar Bourgois and Gus Benson to a score of four-all. Bourgois and Benson pushed past the Bulldog team for a 6-4 final.

Redshirt freshman Alex Diaz and junior Emil Reinberg led Ryotaro Matsumura and Trey Yates on court three at 5-4 when their match concluded. Sophomore Nathan Ponwith and senior Wayne Montgomery dropped a 6-3 decision to Will Bushamuka and Austin Hassey on court two, giving Kentucky the doubles point.

The Bulldogs ratcheted up their play in singles. All of the first four singles matches advanced into third sets, with Reinberg and Zielinski earning third-set victories after dropping their first and second sets, respectively.

Reinberg, ranked No. 59 nationally, downed Trey Yates on court three by way of a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 decision. The 38th-ranked Zielinski secured his third-straight win on court two with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over No. 53 Will Bushamuka. The junior from Warsaw now owns 10 wins over ranked opponents this season, as he posted a stellar 16-2 record in dual play and 8-2 record in SEC play this season.

No. 93 Ponwith regrouped from a 6-4 first set loss to win the second set 6-1, but dropped the third set 6-3 to Austin Hussey on court four. No. 29 Montgomery earned an 8-6 battle in the first tiebreaker over No. 9 Matsumura, but dropped the next two sets 7-5, 6-2.

With the Bulldogs down 3-2, Loeb and Diaz mounted the comeback for the win. Loeb defeated Cesar Bourgois 6-2, 6-4 on court five to tie the score at three. The Hilton Head, South Carolina, native finished the regular season with a 9-3 record in dual play.

Diaz clinched the match on court six, winning 6-4 in the first set and then holding off Gus Benson’s rally in the second set, winning a tiebreaker 7-5 and sealing the 4-3 Georgia win.

Next up, the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the 2018 SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament, hosted by the University of Alabama on April 26-29. The official bracket will be released this week.

Tennis Match Results

Kentucky vs Georgia

April 15, 2018 at Athens, Ga.

(Dan Magill Tennis Complex)

#25 Georgia 4, #18 Kentucky 3

Singles Results

1. #9 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. #29 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-2

2. #38 Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. #53 Will Bushamuka (UK) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

3. #59 Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Trey Yates (UK) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

4. Austin Hussey (UK) def. #93 Nathan Ponwith 6-4, 1-6, 6-3

5. Robert Loeb (UGA) def. Cesar Bourgois (UK) 6-2, 6-4

6. Alex Diaz (UGA) def. Gus Benson (UK) 6-4, 7-6 (5)

Doubles Results

1. #36 Cesar Bourgois/Gus Benson (UK) def. #15 Robert Loeb/Jan Zielinski (UGA) 6-4

2. Will Bushamuka/Austin Hassey (UK) def. Wayne Montgomery/Nathan Ponwith (UGA) 6-3

3. Alex Diaz/Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. Ryotaro Matsumura/Trey Yates (UK) 5-4 (uf)

Match Notes:

Kentucky 14-10, 7-5; National ranking #18

Georgia 12-9, 5-7; National ranking #25

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,4,3,1,5,6)