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The eighth-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team opened the 2015 season by winning seven matches – four in singles and three in doubles – on the first day of the MLK Invitational Saturday at Georgia Tech’s Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
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The MLK Invitational is a singles and a doubles tournament featuring players from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and Columbia. The Bulldogs squared off against Columbia on Saturday and will face Oklahoma Sunday and Tech on Monday.
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“Overall it was a very good day,” Georgia coach Manuel Diaz said. “The matches were very competitive, and I was pleased with our first outing. Seeing the way our guys had prepared leading up to today and the way we competed, I thought it was a very productive day. I think we can learn a few things from today and get even better.”
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The Bulldogs won all three doubles matches as 16th-ranked Paul Oosterbaan and Ben Wagland defeated the nation’s 10th-ranked pair Ashok Narayana and Max Schnur, 6-4 and the team of Nathan Pasha and Nick Wood downed Dragos Ignat and Richard Pham, 6-2. No. 34-ranked Eric Diaz and Austin Smith edged Winston Lin and Mike Vermeer, 7-6(5).
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In singles, 15th-ranked Pasha cruised to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over No. 22 Lin, Wood topped Schnur, 6-4, 7-6, Oosterbaan defeated No. 124 Mike Vermeer, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, while Wagland beat Eric Rubin, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
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For Pasha and Oosterbaan, it was their first wins against ranked opponents in the 2014-15 season.
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Georgia will be back in action Sunday at 9 a.m. with matches against Oklahoma. Georgia Tech and Columbia will play at 2 p.m.
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Said Manuel Diaz: “It will be a good challenge for us tomorrow against Oklahoma.”
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Tennis Tournament Results
MLK Invitational
Jan 17-19, 2015 at Atlanta, Ga. (Ken Byers Tennis Complex)
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Singles competition
Saturday, Jan. 17
#15 Nathan Pasha (Georgia) def. #22 Winston Lin (Columbia) 7-5, 6-1
Dragos Ignat (Columbia) def. #11 Austin Smith (Georgia) 7-6, 6-4
#101 Nick Wood (Georgia) def. Max Schnur (Columbia) 6-4, 7-6
Paul Oosterbaan (Georgia) def. #124 Mike Vermeer (Columbia) 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
Ben Wagland (Georgia) def. Eric Rubin (Columbia) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Shawn Hadavi (Columbia) def. Eric Diaz (Georgia) 6-3, 6-1
Miguel Alda (Columbia) def. Peter Bertran (Georgia) 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)
Doubles competition
Saturday, Jan. 17
#16 Ben Wagland/Paul Oosterbaan (Georgia) def. #10 Max Schnur/Ashok Narayana (Columbia) 6-4
#34 Eric Diaz/Austin Smith (Georgia) def. Winston Lin/Mike Vermeer (Columbia) 7-6 (7-5)
Nathan Pasha/Nick Wood (Georgia) def. DragosIgnat/Richard Pham (Columbia) 6-2
