The 17th-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team passed its first SEC road test on Sunday as the Bulldogs (8-3, 3-0) notched a 5-2 victory over Vanderbilt (8-8, 0-2) at the Currey Tennis Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
 
 
The Bulldogs won the doubles point and four singles match en route to the victory. Georgia moves to 52-5 all-time against the Commodores.
 
 
“I’m really happy with our team’s toughness today,” said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “We were challenged at every singles spot and doubles came down to a tiebreaker. Our doubles were strong today which gave us a boost, but Vanderbilt didn’t go away. I was also very proud of our freshman…It was tremendous to see them come through when it mattered most. I can’t say enough about Austin Smith; he is playing impeccable tennis and is becoming really mentally tough at the top of the lineup.”
 
 
Georgia claimed the doubles point after taking courts 2 and 3. The No. 62 pair of Wayne Montgomery and Emil Reinberg continued its winning ways at No. 3 with a 6-4 win over Tate Allwardt and Baker Newman. The win improved the duo’s win streak to five games. Georgia’s tandem of Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski topped the Commodores’ No. 76 pair of Pen Binet and Daniel Valent 7-6 to clinch the doubles point. Georgia has now won the doubles point in six straight matches.
 
 
In singles, Georgia was paced early by senior Austin Smith. The No. 27 singles player earned a quick 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 54 Valent for the early advantage. Vanderbilt claimed wins on courts 2 and 3 to tie the score at 2-all, but Georgia responded on the last three courts. Senior Nick Wood’s 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 5 gave the Bulldogs the 3-2 edge and two Georgia freshmen took it from there. Walker Duncan clinched the match for Georgia at No. 4 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Baker Newman. Reinberg capped the scoring for the Bulldogs with a 6-3, 2-6, 1-0(10-6) victory over Alex Ross.
 
 
The Bulldogs will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday to take on South Carolina at 5 p.m. before returning home to face No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
 
 
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For more information on the Georgia men’s tennis team, follow the team on Twitter (@UGATennis), Instagram (@ugatennis) and Facebook (UGA Men’s Tennis).
 
 

Tennis Match Results

#17 Georgia defeats #56 Vanderbilt (5-2)
Mar 13, 2016 at Nashville, Tenn.
(Currey Tennis Center)

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

 
 
Singles competition
 
1. #27 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #54 Daniel Valent (VAN) 6-2, 6-4
2. Cameron Klinger (VAN) def. #25 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-4, 6-2
3. Rhys Johnson (VAN) def. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
4. #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Baker Newman (VAN) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
5. Nick Wood (UGA) def. Kris Yee (VAN) 7-5, 6-4
6. Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Alex Ross (VAN) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0(10-6)
 
 
Doubles competition
 
1. Rhys Johnson/Cameron Klinger (VAN) def. #5 Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (UGA) 6-4
2. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Pen Binet/Daniel Valent (VAN) 7-6
3. #62 Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #76 Tate Allwardt/Baker Newman (VAN) 6-4