University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Georgia
No. 72 Spartans Give No. 7 Bulldogs All They Can Handle, Fall 5-2
1/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 23, 2010
ATHENS, Ga. - The USC Upstate men's tennis team may have a record of 0-2, but on Saturday afternoon, the team nearly pulled off an upset that would have turned the collegiate tennis world on its ear. No. 7 Georgia may have won, 5-2, but the Spartans put the Bulldogs on the ropes at the Lindsay Hopkins Indoor Facility. Down 3-0, the Spartans won two of the last four matches, falling only in three sets and in a super-set tiebreaker format.
The Bulldogs (1-0 overall) swept the doubles action, and took the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches in two sets, but senior Javier Tori put Upstate on the board with a dramatic, come-from-behind three-set win over Bo Seal at No. 4, taking the match, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The Bulldogs got the clinching point minutes later when sophomore Edgar Rodriguez fell in a tight three-set match, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, to 60th-ranked Drake Bernstein.
The Spartans fought back, though, as the bottom two slots both fought impressively. At No. 5 singles, with the match decided, sophomore Ramiro Blanco fell in a super-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 7-6 (6-1), 10-7 for the second straight match. Senior Jack Roux closed the match with a solid two-set win at No. 6 singles, beating Will Reynolds, 7-5, 6-3.
The Spartans get back on the court on Friday when Winthrop heads to the USC Upstate Tennis Complex for Upstate's home opener at 2 p.m.
Tennis Match Results #7 Georgia 5, #72 USC Upstate 2 Singles competition 1. #45 Javier Garrapiz (UGA) def. Renzo Airaldi (UPSTM) 6-4, 6-0 2. Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Marco Linconir (UPSTM) 6-1, 6-3 3. #60 Drake Bernstein (UGA) def. Edgar Rodriguez (UPSTM) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 4. Javier Tori (UPSTM) def. Bo Seal (UGA) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 5. Christian Vitulli (UGA) def. Ramiro Blanco (UPSTM) 4-6, 7-6 (6-1), 1-0 (10-7) 6. Jack Roux (UPSTM) def. Will Reynolds (UGA) 7-5, 6-3 Doubles competition 1. Nate Schnugg/Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Marco Linconir/ Jack Roux (UPSTM) 8-2 2. Javier Garrapiz/Drake Bernstein (UGA) def. Javier Tori/ Renzo Airaldi (UPSTM) 8-6 3. Christian Vitulli/Bo Seal (UGA) def. Edgar Rodriguez/ Ramiro Blanco (UPSTM) 8-6 Match Notes: USC Upstate 0-2; National ranking #72 Georgia 1-0; National ranking #7 Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,2,4,3,5,6)
