The Georgia women’s tennis team flexed their No. 5 ranking and destroyed Mercer 7-0 on Wednesday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA.
 
 
The Bulldogs (6-1) opened the outdoor portion of their season with an impressive showing over the Bears (3-3). It marked the first dual match between the programs since 1981. Georgia began Wednesday’s match with a pair of 6-1 wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles contests to secure the first team point. In the No. 1 match, Georgia’s duo of junior Ellen Perez and freshman Elena Christofi were the first off the court while the No. 2 tandem of senior Caroline Brinson and junior Kennedy Shaffer clinched the point over Katie Sidor and Anna Sovic.
 
 
In singles, freshman Marta Gonzalez, ranked No. 111, gave Georgia a 2-0 lead with a 6-0,6-0 win over Haley Powell at No. 5. Moments later, Christofi’s 6-0,6-0 decision over Grace Korta at No. 2 singles made it 3-0 Bulldogs. Christofi, ranked 15th nationally, improved to a team-best 18-3 this season. Then, Brinson, who is ranked No. 44, clinched the match with a 6-1,6-0 win over Marie Mottet at No. 4. Junior Mariana Gould, Shaffer and Perez also won in straight sets to complete the shutout. Georgia’s last 7-0 win came earlier this season when it blanked Clemson on the road.
 
 
“It was the first outdoor match of the season so we were all ready,” said Christofi. “We knew it would be important to come out and enjoy it and just have fun. We all stayed aggressive the whole time and we got the win today.”
 
 
“It’s been great for us to transition from the indoor tennis to outdoor,” said Georgia coach Jeff Wallace. “We’ve got some good practices in and now to get in that first match, it’s just been a great transition. We have a big match Friday night versus Georgia Tech and we’re ready for it. It’s a mental battle as well as a physical battle when you’re playing an in-state rival. We’re looking forward to it. We played some great doubles today, and we just need to stay aggressive there for Friday.”
 
 
“It’s hard transitioning from indoors to outdoors, but we played well,” Gonzalez added. “I am happy with my singles match. I know that I need to play like I did today on Friday. We know Friday is going to be hard but I feel pretty good.”
 
 
Georgia plays host to 11th-ranked Tech Friday at 3 p.m.
 
 
CLICK HERE for the final stats from the Georgia women’s tennis team’s match against Mercer.