University of Georgia
Texas
Bulldogs To Close Out Regular Season At Home, Host No. 3 Texas, No. 14 Texas A&M
April 10, 2025 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia men's tennis team is set to close out the regular season at home this weekend against No. 3 Texas and No. 14 Texas A&M. Friday night against the Longhorns is Greek Day at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, and Sunday against the Aggies is Senior Day.
Match 24 – No. 3 Texas
Friday, Apr. 11, 2025
6:00 p.m. E.T.
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Live Streaming: https://gado.gs/9kh
Promotion: Greek Night, Hitting clinic with team; First 100 fans receive 'UGA Tennis' Stein
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis
Match 25 – No. 14 Texas A&M
Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025
1:00 p.m. E.T.
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Live Streaming: https://gado.gs/9kh
Promotion: Senior Day
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis
BULLDOG BULLETIN
The First Serve: The University of Georgia men's tennis enters the last weekend of regular season play hosting No. 3 Texas on Friday and No. 14 Texas A&M on Sunday for Senior Day.
Georgia holds an all time record of 17-8 against Texas, last defeating the Longhorns in 2022. In doubles, the Bulldogs took the point off wins by Trent Bryde/Philip Henning on court two over Siem Woldeab/Pierre Yves-Bailly before Erik Grevelius/Blake Croyder seal doubles on court three over Micah Braswell. Chih Chi Huang. In singles, Texas responded with a win on court four before Croyder gave the Bulldogs the lead again on court five. Thomas Paulsell extended the lead to 3-1 with a win over Woldeab on court six. The Longhorns responded again with two wins on courts two and three before Hamish Stewart clinched the 4-3 win for Georgia on court one over Yvez-Bailly.
Texas checked in this week at No. 3 in this week's ITA rankings and is currently on a seven-match win streak. The Longhorn's clinched a share of the SEC regular season title last weekend. This year, Texas has gone undefeated in conference play, dropping contests to No. 5 Virginia, No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 2 TCU. ). Last season, the Longhorns went 27-4 (7-0 Big 12) winning the conference tournament and falling in the NCAA tournament championship against TCU. Four players - No. 2 Timo Legout, No. 22 Sebastian Gorzny, No. 49 Pierre Yves-Bailly and No. 66 Jonah Braswell - feature in the singles rankings with No. 6 Lucas Brown/Timo Legout in the doubles rankings. On the roster, Texas have two freshman (Eriksson and Ojakaar), one redshirt freshman (Legout), two sophomores (Burnett and Sachdev), three juniors (Braswell, Brown and Gorzny) and one fourth year (Yves-Bailly).
Texas holds winning records on all six singles courts with a 19-2 nod on court one. Legout has led the team on 16 wins this spring followed by Gorzny with 15 wins. In doubles, the Longhorns are even on court one with winning records on courts two and three.
Against Texas A&M, the Bulldogs are 9-9 all time last taking down the Aggies in 2023 in Athens, 5-2. Texas A&M took the doubles point with wins on court one and three. Playing out singles, No. 2 Ethan Quinn and No. 15 Philip Henning jumped to quick straight set wins to give Georgia the lead. Miguel Perez Peña and No. 90 Blake Croyder won on courts six and four, respectively, clinching the win. The two schools split courts three and five to close out the match.
The Aggies are ranked No. 14 in the country after impressive results over No. 20 UCLA, No. 8 Kentucky and No. 21 Alabama. Texas A&M sits at 15-8 (8-4 SEC) this year going 3-3 in the last six conferences match ups. Last year, the Aggies finished the year 20-11 (7-5 SEC) and reached the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament. In singles, No. 35 Theo Papamalamis and No. 51 JC Roddick represent Texas A&M with three ranked doubles pairings. On the roster, the Aggies have one freshman (Papamalamis), one redshirt freshman (Patil), four sophomores (Michna, Pieczonka, Pires and Skrobarcek), one redshirt sophomore (Lothringer), three juniors (Pinho, Silva and Tokac), five seniors (Casper, Magadan, Perego, Roddick and Salvestre) and one graduate (Ross).
The Aggies hold 12-8 overall record in singles on the top three courts and are .500 in ranked contests this season. Junior Tokac leads the team with 12 wins this spring. In doubles, Texas A&M is just south of .500.
Prior to the dual match season, the Bulldogs put together several strong performances through the fall. Headlined by Thomas Paulsell's round of 16 run in the NCAA Singles Championships, three Bulldogs (Paulsell, Perez Peña and Pinto Sansano) qualified for the NCAA individual tournament. Paulsell qualified for the championships by way of finishing as a semi-finalist at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in Rome, Ga. Perez Peña qualified after being crowned co-champion of the ITA Southeast Regional, and Pinto Sansano after winning the 5-8 playoff at the ITA South Sectional. Notably, by reaching the round of 16 in the singles tournament, Paulsell was recognized as the program's 55th All-American.
The Bulldogs culled together 77 singles wins in the fall, 13 of which were over ranked opponents. In doubles, Georgia had 24 total wins - eight ranked. The Bulldogs individual records from the fall (spring dual match records in parentheses) are compiled below:
Singles: Overall:
Freddy Blaydes: 5-3 (2-3) 7-6
Ryan Colby: 11-7 (12-4) 23-11
Filipe Costa: 2-5 (3-1) 5-6
Parker Jacques: 5-3 (1-0) 6-3
Cyrus Mahjoob: 6-4 (3-0) 9-4
Parker Mariencheck: 2-5 (1-0) 3-5
Thomas Paulsell: 13-6 (8-7) 21-13
Miguel Perez Peña: 9-6 (11-5) 20-11
Oscar Pinto Sansano: 9-6 (16-5) 25-11
Niels Ratiu: 6-5 (12-6) 18-11
Gabriele Vulpitta: N/A (7-7) 7-7
Doubles (Teams): Overall:
Blaydes/Ratiu: 10-5 (5-4) 15-9
Paulsell/Colby: 7-4 (5-6) 12-10
Perez Peña/Pinto Sansano: 5-5 (N/A) 5-5
Costa/Mahjoob: 2-3 (N/A) 2-3
Jacques/Mariencheck: 0-4 (N/A) 0-4
Ratiu/Vulpitta: N/A (2-0) 2-0
Blaydes/Pinto Sansano: N/A (3-1) 3-1
Perez Peña/Ratiu: N/A (2-4) 2-4
Perez Peña/Jacques: N/A (1-0) 1-0
Paulsell/Pinto Sansano: N/A (3-5) 3-5
Perez Pena/Vulpitta: N/A (8-3) 8-3
Colby/Ratiu: N/A (0-2) 0-2
Doubles (Players): Overall:
Freddy Blaydes: 10-5 (8-5) 18-10
Ryan Colby: 7-4 (5-8) 12-12
Filipe Costa: 2-3 (N/A) 2-3
Parker Jacques: 0-4 (1-0) 1-4
Cyrus Mahjoob: 2-3 (N/A) 2-3
Parker Mariencheck: 0-4 (N/A) 0-4
Thomas Paulsell: 7-4 (8-11) 15-15
Miguel Perez Peña: 5-5 (11-7) 16-12
Oscar Pinto Sansano: 5-5 (6-6) 11-11
Niels Ratiu: 10-5 (9-10) 19-15
Gabriele Vulpitta: N/A (10-3) 10-3
*Arda Azkara, Cooper Johnson and Gabriele Vulpitta are entering their first semester with Georgia.
** Davis Taylor did not feature in ITA-sanctioned matches during the fall.
Last Time Out: Last Thursday, Georgia fell to No. 32 Florida, 4-3
After taking the doubles point with wins from Miguel Perez Peña/Gabriele Vulpitta and No. 17 Thomas Paulsell/Ryan Colby, the Bulldogs and Gators battled in singles. Colby and Niels Ratiu won on courts two and five, each, but Florida was able to rally on the remaining four courts to clinch the win.
On Saturday, Georgia lost the doubles point against No. 21 South Carolina. In singles, the Gamecocks ran out with three quick wins on courts five, four and one to seal the 4-0 win.
Strong Starts from the Spaniards: Senior Miguel Perez Peña made his best start in dual match play of his career at 6-0 following the match against No. 5 Virginia. Perez Peña now sits at 11-5 this spring.
More, Perez Peña's record this spring includes three ranked wins agaisnt No. 115 Ioannis Xilas (Wake Forest), No. 53 Jaden Weekes (Kentucky) and No. 16 Shunsuke Mitsui (Tennessee) - the senior's highest ranked win of his career. Further, Perez Peña currently holds a 8-3 record in doubles with Gabriele Vulpitta.
Senior Oscar Pinto Sansano leads the teams in wins with 16 singles wins this spring and is tied for second among all SEC players in singles wins. After moving up from court five to four at the start of conference play, Pinto Sansano has gone 8-3 against SEC opponents. Of Pinto Sansano's 16 wins this spring, all but one have come in straight sets.
Consistent Colby: In his second full season with the Bulldogs, senior Ryan Colby has cemented his spot near the top of the lineup for Georgia.
At this stage of the season, Colby sits at 12-4 in dual singles with six ranked wins - all inside the top 90 in the country. A list of his ranked victories are compiled below:
Feb. 1, 2025: 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 vs. No. 7 DK Suresh (Wake Forest)
Feb. 24, 2025: 6-3, 6-3 vs. No. 31 Alex Kotzen (Tennessee)
Feb. 28, 2025: 6-1, 6-0 vs. No. 59 Roan Jones (Alabama)
Mar. 15, 2025: 6-2, 6-4 vs. No. 88 Petar Jovanovic (Mississippi State)
Mar. 23, 2025: 6-1, 6-4 vs. No. 80 Lukas Palovic (Arkansas)
Apr. 3, 2025: 7-5, 6-2 vs. No. 66 Jeremy Jin (Florida)
11 of the senior's 12 wins this spring have come in straight sets. The one three set victory came against his highest ranked opponent in Wake Forest's Suresh. Colby has played on courts one, two and three this spring, holding a 1-2 record on the top court, going 10-2 just below and maintaining a 1-0 mark on the third.
Positive Paulsell: Alongside Perez Peña, Thomas Paulsell is the only four-year senior on Georgia's roster. Each year, Paulsell has seen an uptick in key stats to his name.
Since his freshman year, Paulsell has worked his way up to the top courts for the Bulldogs. More, the senior has earned more ranked wins in each season that he has spent at Georgia beginning with one his freshman year, seven in his junior year and nine already this season. More, Paulsell is one pace for seven conference wins this year. Having already recorded his career-high in SEC wins this season with six, this would be career-best season.
Freshman Finding Form: Freshman Gabriele Vulpitta, in his first season with the Bulldogs, has begun to find his form for Georgia.
In SEC play, Vulpitta owns a 4-4 mark in singles, including three match-clinching wins on court six. In total his season, Vulpitta now has five match-clinching wins and three point-clinching wins.
Top 25 Wins: Since 2020, Georgia has amassed 32 top-25 wins in regular season and post-season play. A list of each top-25 victory is compiled below.
2020: 4-2 vs. No. 10 Tennessee, 4-0 vs. No. 3 Ohio State, 4-1 vs. No. 11 Ohio State
2021: 4-3 vs. No. 14 N.C. State, 5-2 vs. No. 22 Mississippi State, 4-2 vs. No. 21 UCF, 4-3 vs. No. 20 Kentucky, 4-2 vs. No. 8 Texas A&M, 4-0 vs. No. 25 Texas Tech, 4-3 vs. No. 6 North Carolina
2022: 4-3 vs. No. 16 N.C. State, 4-3 vs. No. 6 Texas, 5-2 vs. No. 23 Mississippi State, 4-3 vs. No. 14 South Carolina, 4-2 vs. No. 5 Tennessee, 4-0 vs. No. 9 Ole Miss, 5-2 vs. No. 18 Alabama
2023: 4-3 vs. No. 16 Stanford, 4-3 vs. No. 8 South Carolina, 4-2 vs. No. 6 USC, 6-1 vs. No. 14 Auburn, 4-3 vs. No. 18 Tennessee, 5-2 vs. No. 4 Kentucky, 4-0 vs. No. 5 South Carolina, 4-3 vs. No. 20 Florida, 6-1 vs. No. 20 Mississippi State, 7-0 vs. No. 25 Ole Miss, 4-0 vs. No. 24 Florida, 4-0 vs. No. 21 Texas A&M, 4-2 vs. No. 10 Harvard
2024: 5-2 vs. No. 21 Alabama
2025 (so far): 4-2 vs. No. 16 Tennessee, 4-3 vs. No. 16 Mississippi State
Award-Winning: This week, senior Thomas Paulsell was named to the 2025 SEC Community Service Team.
Thomas Paulsell, a captain on Georgia's men's tennis team, has been committed to uplifting and enabling the Athens community, as well as the tennis community as a whole. A member of the Georgia Way's Leadership Education and Development Academy, Paulsell is committed to generating leadership development among student athletes and provide opportunities for said athletes to meet and interact with established local, state and national leaders. This year, Paulsell participated in Georgia Reads Day with local elementary school Barrow Elementary, spending time with the students, encouraging reading at a crucial stage in their development and acting as a spotlight for what the next generation can achieve. Oftentimes after matches, Thomas can be found encouraging young fans at matches, even going as far as inviting them down to hit on the courts. More, he has spent time in the past as a tennis instructor.
The week of Mar. 12-18, freshman Gabriele Vulpitta was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for his performance against Mississippi State. Texas freshman Timo Legout was also recognized as Co-Freshman of the Week.
Vulpitta recorded his third straight match-clinching win for Georgia against No. 16 Mississippi State to improve the team's record to 4-2 in conference play. After Mississippi State took the doubles point, Georgia needed four of the six courts in singles to walk out victors. After results came in on courts one through five, the overall match was tied 3-3; Vulpitta's match on court six would decide the match. In his first set, Vulpitta and Cortes headed to a tiebreak. Down 2-6 in the tiebreak, Vulpitta rallied winning five straight games before ultimately grabbing the first set 7-6 with a 10-8 decision in the tiebreak. Cortes took the second set, pitting the two freshmen in a third. Up 3-2 in the third set, Vulpitta won the three of the final four games to seal Georgia's second top 20 victory of the season.
Following the first week of spring action, sophomore Niels Ratiu was announced as the first SEC men's tennis player of the week for the 2025 season.
Ratiu was efficient in the home openers for the Bulldogs. In singles play, Ratiu dispatched Mercer's Fouilhoux on court four in straight sets 6-0, 6-4 earning Georgia it's second singles point of the match. In the second match, Ratiu moved up to court two for the Bulldogs, blanking his opponent, Presbyterian's Pedro Cardoso, in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 – the Bulldogs' first singles point of the match. Ratiu's appearance on court two against Presbyterian is his fourth career appearance in the position for Georgia. In doubles play, Ratiu maintained his court one presence from his freshman season playing alongside freshman Gabriele Vulpitta. The duo earned their first two wins over Mercer's No. 55 Stefanovic/Fouilhoux and Presbyterian's Mamalat/Vasilakis winning both matches 6-0. With the win over No. 55 Stefanovic/Fouilhoux, Ratiu now has 13 career ranked doubles wins and his first with Vulpitta.
Rank the Dawgs: The Bulldogs sit at No. 31 in the ITA team rankings poll this week.
In singles, Ryan Colby led off at No. 28 followed by Thomas Paulsell at No. 42.
Miguel Perez Peña rounded out the trio of Dawgs at No. 56. In doubles, Paulsell/Colby are regarded as the No. 23 pairing with Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu at No. 43 and Perez Peña/Oscar Pinto Sansano at No. 77.
Across the SEC: Georgia is one of three schools in the SEC to have at least two players ranked inside the top-50 of the ITA singles rankings. Texas' Timo Legout, Sebastian Gorzny and Pierre-Yves Bailly all feature and Tennessee's Shunsuke Mitsiu and Alex Kotzen featued in the top-50 of the singles rankings alongside Georgia's Ryan Colby and Thomas Paulsell.
New Faces, New Places: The Bulldogs welcomed three new faces to Athens for the 2025 season, with a key signing for the fall 2025 class.
VCU transfer Oscar Pinto Sansano joined the ranks for the fall campaign. Pinto Sansano began his collegiate career at Arkansas and compiled a 7-14 singles dual match record before spending transferring to VCU for two seasons. With VCU, Pinto Sansano held a 20-5 overall singles dual match record and was ranked as high as No. 31 in ITA doubles ranking. Prior to his collegiate career, he was regarded as the No. 53 junior in UTR world rankings.
In January, Grand Slam champion Gabriele Vulpitta arrived in Athens for the 2025 season and beyond. Vulpitta, a native of Rome, Italy, boasts an impressive resume with a junior doubles title at Wimbledon, as well as finishing as a 2023 junior doubles Roland Garros finalist. He also held career-high ATP rankings of No. 747 in doubles and No. 1168 in singles with a Universal Tennis Rating of 13.23. More, New Mexico transfer Arda Azkara now dons the red and black. Azkara compiled 50 singles wins with the Lobos and was named the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year in 2022. After his sophomore and junior seasons, Azkara became the first Mountain West player to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors since Oliver Maiberger of San Diego State University from 2001-2003. The Turkish native recorded an 11-0 record at No. 1 singles for the Lobos last season and holds a 13.15 Universal Tennis Rating. Georgia native Cooper Johnson will join the Bulldogs in January. Johnson holds career-high recruiting rankings of No. 1 in the state of Georgia and No. 21 nationally. He holds a Universal Tennis Rating of 11.9 with a 3-2 record against other five-star recruits. Johnson also holds an ITF junior ranking of 3,157 and an ITF World Tennis Number of 16.5
Blue-chip recruit and Anderson, S.C. native Noah Johnston signed with Georgia for the fall of 2025, head coach Jamie Hunt announced last fall. The former No. 1 overall recruit in the nation holds a 5-5 record against fellow blue-chip prospects and a career-high ITF junior ranking of 50. Johnston has recent singles anddoubles wins at the J200 Tampico, a doubles championship at the J300 Barranquilla, and a doubles championship at the J300 San Jose while also featuring in the junior doubles draw of the 144th edition of the U.S. Open.
Head Coach Jamie Hunt: Jamie Hunt, who was part of Georgia's 2007 and 2008 NCAA National Championship teams as a player and served seven years on the Georgia men's tennis staff as an associate head coach, was tabbed to lead the Bulldogs' men's tennis program on Feb. 27, 2024.
Since returning to Athens in 2017, Hunt has twice been named the ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year and helped the Bulldogs capture the 2023 SEC Championship with a perfect league record.
Hunt played for Coach Diaz from 2007-2010 and helped lead Georgia to a pair of national championships. Following his playing career, Hunt made his way to Nashville to become an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
Hunt was a star tennis player and leader for the Bulldogs' tennis program from 2007 through 2010. His 116 singles wins rank 12th all-time in school history for the four-time All-SEC selection, while his combined singles and doubles record of 238-80 ranks third in the Georgia record book.
Hunt and his wife Kyndal Edwards Hunt met as seniors at the University of Georgia and have five children: Daughter Blakely, son Hayes, twins -- daughter Macy and son Hudson -- and son Ford.
Players Mentioned
