ATHENS, Ga. – No. 35 Men's tennis defeated 48th ranked Georgia by a close 4-3 score in Athens on Sunday. The win marks the fifth time the Tigers have defeated the Bulldogs in program history and the first time since the 2010 SEC Tournament quarterfinal round. Sunday's win is also Auburn's first win over Georgia in Athens since 1994.
Fifth-year senior Tyler Stice came back after dropping the opening set to defeat No. 80 Thomas Paulsell to clinch the Tigers' road win.
"This feeling is unlike any other. To clinch a match is one thing, but to do it at Georgia with that crowd and the history behind the rivalry is incredible. I'll remember this match for the rest of my life. Today was tough. Paulsell came out firing early and with the wind and conditions, things were difficult for me. I just tried to keep my head down, hold serve and trust that I would break deep in the second set."
The win over the Bulldogs was also the first in head coach Bobby Reynolds' career, while associate head coach John Roddick returned to his alma mater and enjoyed a victory.
"It was a great team win today," said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. "I couldn't be happier for these guys because it's been a long time since we won in Athens, and it shows the growth of this team. To come out and change the narrative from our match against Tennessee is what we asked of them as coaches.
"To get out of Athens after beating a great team and a great program says a lot about where we are and where we're going. Our guys came out ready to play from the first ball. We had opportunities to close out the doubles a little earlier than we did, but in the end we were able to get that point and it proved to be huge."
Tyler Stice and Will Nolan got the momentum going during the doubles point for Auburn, picking up a quick 6-3 win on court three. Each of the top two courts remained tight late in the match, with the score tied 5-5 on both courts at one point. Billy Blaydes and Alejandro Moreno ultimately prevailed on court two, defeating Ryan Colby and Niels Ratiu 7-5 to claim the doubles point.
Singles did not begin well for the Tigers, as Moreno and Blaydes were the only players to earn first set wins.
Niels Ratiu tied the match for Georgia with a straight set win on court three, but Billy Blaydes, who was matched against brother Freddy Blaydes on court six, answered for Auburn with a straight set victory of his own to help Auburn retake the lead 2-1. The sophomore's win in the battle between siblings marked his team-best 12th dual singles win of the season and his fifth consecutive singles win.
After being down 2-1 early in the second set, Moreno won his second set to take down No. 100 Miguel Perez Pena 6-3, 6-4. The win made the score 3-1 and moved the Tigers to within one singles match win of victory.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 3-2 by winning on court five with the singles matches on courts one and two both in their decisive third set.
Stice then clinched the team victory on court one by earning his third ranked singles win of the season by a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 score.
The dramatic win improves Auburn's record to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in conference while the loss drops Georgia to 6-7 overall and its SEC record to 1-3.
Up next, Auburn will play its SEC home opener against Florida. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
#35 Auburn 4, #48 Georgia 3
Singles Results:
1. #40 Tyler Stice (AUB) def. #82 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. #65 Ryan Colby (UGA) def. #73 Finn Murgett (AUB) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (10-8)
3. Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Raul Dobai (AUB) 6-3, 7-5
4. Alejandro Moreno (AUB) def. #100 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) 5-3, 6-4
5. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) def. Nicholas Heng (AUB) 6-4, 6-4
6. Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Freddy Blaydes (UGA) 6-1, 7-5
Doubles Results:
1. Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett (AUB) vs. Freddy Blaydes/Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 5-5, unfinished
2. Billy Blaydes/Alejandro Moreno (AUB) def. Ryan Colby/Niels Ratiu (UGA) 7-5
3. Tyler Stice/Will Nolan (AUB) def. Cyrus Mahjoob/Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) 6-3
Time of match: 3:31; Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2; Singles: 3,6,4,5,1,2; Official: Karen Badger-Mabry