Georgia’s Andy Martinez during the 48th annual Southern Intercollegiate Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo by Steven Colquitt)
[su_spacer size=”20″]
“This is always a great tournament,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “Our guys get in a whole lot of matches and hopefully we will be better for it after this weekend…We have a long way to go as a team, but we are working hard and some of the guys looked very good today. I thought Paul Oosterbaan looked very good today having a convincing win against a good player. Austin and Wayne both looked good. Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow in both the main draw or in the back draw. Everyone is involved and everyone is playing tomorrow so it will be another opportunity for them to get to that next level.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs went 5-1 in the singles round of 64 to advance six to the main draw of the Division I singles round of 32, held Friday afternoon. Wayne Montgomery, defending champion of the 2014 Southern Intercollegiate Championships and the top seed in 2015, received a first-round bye. Thirteenth-seeded Ben Wagland posted the first victory of the fall season in a 6-1, 6-4 victory over College of Charleston’s Vasily Kichigan. Freshman Walker Duncan quickly followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Lipscomb’s Alejandro Manzanares. After a quick start, Bulldog freshman Emil Reinberg eventually fell to Liberty’s Sam Matheson in three sets, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. Eleventh-seeded Nick Wood put Georgia back into the win column with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Saint Leo’s Alex Theiler. Oosterbaan dispatched Georgia State’s Sebastian Acuna 6-2, 6-4, before second-seeded Austin Smith topped Barry’s Nicolas Dreer 6-0, 7-5 to round out the round of 64. Andy Martinez added a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Georgia College’s Mattia Campus in the Division II round of 64 to advance.
[su_spacer size=”40″] A trio of Bulldogs claimed victories in the afternoon Division I round of 32. Montgomery picked up where he left off at last year’s tournament, defeating Mississippi State’s Vaughn Hunter 6-2, 6-4 to start the second round. Oosterbaan also impressed with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory over 10th-seeded Nathan Rakitt of in-state rival Georgia Tech. Smith capped Georgia’s division I singles action with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Armstrong State’s Luca Cerin. Wagland (3-6, 7-6, 6-4), Duncan (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) and Wood (7-6, 1-6, 6-3) each fell in three sets in the round of 32. Martinez also advanced to the round of 16 in the Division II bracket.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Friday evening Duncan and Wood defeated Davidson’s J.B. Gough and Jordan Hart 8-2 to continue the Bulldogs’ winning ways. Georgia’s other two doubles tandems – Smith/Wagland and Montgomery/Oosterbaan – received first-round byes and will join Duncan/Wood in the second round on Saturday morning.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Division I doubles round of 32 begins Saturday at 8 a.m. followed by the round of 16 at 10 a.m. The Division I singles round of 16 will begin Saturday at noon.
[su_spacer size=”60″] Division I Singles Round of 64
[su_spacer size=”20″] [13] Ben Wagland (Georgia) def. Vasily Kichigin (College of Charleston), 6-1, 6-4
Walker Duncan (Georgia) def. Alejandro Manzanares (Lipscomb), 6-3, 6-2
Sam Matheson (Liberty) def. Emil Reinberg (Georgia), 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
[11] Nick Wood (Georgia) def. Alex Theiler (Saint Leo), 6-4, 6-4
Paul Oosterbaan (Georgia) def. Sebastian Acuna (Georgia State), 6-2, 6-4
[2] Austin Smith (Georgia) def. Nicolas Dreer (Barry), 6-0, 7-5
[su_spacer size=”40″] Division I Singles Round of 32
[su_spacer size=”20″] [1] Wayne Montgomery (Georgia) def. Vaughn Hunter (Mississippi State), 6-2, 6-4
Jordan Cox (Georgia Gwinnett) def. [13] Ben Wagland (Georgia), 3-6, 7-6, 6-4
[7] Joao Monteiro (Virginia Tech) def. Walker Duncan (Georgia), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Kevin Konfederak (Georgia Gwinnett) def. [11] Nick Wood (Georgia), 7-6, 1-6, 6-3
Paul Oosterbaan (Georgia) def. [10] Nathan Rakitt (Georgia Tech), 6-4, 6-2
[2] Austin Smith (Georgia) def. Luca Cerin (Armstrong State), 7-5, 6-3
[su_spacer size=”40″] Division II Singles Round of 64
[su_spacer size=”20″] Andy Martinez (Georgia) def. Mattia Campus (Georgia College), 6-4, 6-3
[su_spacer size=”40″] Division II Singles Round of 32
[su_spacer size=”20″] Andy Martinez (Georgia) def. Louis Asser (Memphis), 6-1, 6-3
[su_spacer size=”40″] Division I Doubles Round of 64
[su_spacer size=”20″] Walker Duncan/Nick Wood (Georgia) def. J.B. Gough/Jordan Hart (Davidson), 8-2
[su_spacer size=”40″] For more on University of Georgia Men’s Tennis:
[su_spacer size=”40″] GEORGIADOGS.COM – University of Georgia Official Athletic Site – Men’s Tennis
[su_spacer size=”80″]