Georgia sophomore Ellen Perez made her Australian Open debut on Wednesday morning but was not able to advance, falling in the 1st round 6-4, 6-2, along side doubles partner Belinda Woolcock. The sophomore All-American is currently ranked No. 12 in the ITA rankings and will be heading back to the US to Athens to join her teammates to open their season against Wyoming this Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

 
The SEC combination of Perez and Woolcock, two of six collegiate women’s tennis players to receive a berth in the Grand Slam, was defeated by the professional Australian pair of Jessica Moore and Storm Sanders on Court 15 at Melbourne Park.
 
A full replay of the match is available courtesy of ESPN3.com.
 
A Shellharbour, Australia native, Perez was able to compete in her home country’s most renowned tournament and won the first game of the contest on her service. Perez and Woolcock held one-game leads in the first set four times, claiming 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, and 4-3 advantages, but ultimately fell in the first set.
 
Perez and Woolcock never led in the second set.
 
The Georgia Women’s Tennis team will open their season against a 74th ranked Wyoming team on Friday at 1 PM ET for the ITA Kickoff Weekend, which is opened to the public with free admission at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Additionally, the ITA Hall of Fame will be open from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
 

 
For more information on the Georgia Women’s Tennis team, follow the team on:
 
Twitter: @UGAWomensTennis
Instagram: @ugawomenstennis