MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University Men's Tennis team (1-0) got 2023 off on the right foot with a 7-0 win over Emmanuel College (3-4) Saturday at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility.
The Bobcats took the doubles point with wins in the first and third slots. The first match to finish was second doubles however, where Sebastian Nuñez (Buford) and Masumi Komada (Aichi, Japan) teamed for a 6-0 loss to Hassan Badran and Parv Nage.
The remainder of the finishes went GCSU's way. First came a victory in first doubles, 7-6 as Gabe Cizek (Prague, Czech Republic) and Luka Sauer Jimenez (Nyon, Switzerland) beat Joan Grosset and Dorian Verrue. Third doubles clinched the team point, as Karol Malirz (Marbella, Spain) and Enzo Sergi (Nice, France) beat Julio Lopes and Marcos Llorens in a 6-4 match.
Komada helped double GCSU's lead with the first singles finish. He beat Alejandro Gomez in fourth singles 6-0, 6-4. In third singles, Sauer Jimenez topped Nage 7-6(3), 6-4. In second singles, Malirz clinched the team victory for the Bobcats by outlasting Badran 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
Team victory already in hand, Cizek won his marathon over Verrue in first singles with an impressive comeback 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. Fifth singles brought a pair of 6-4 sets and a win for Jorge Robinson (Entre Rios, Argentina) over Grosset. Aurélien Arlot (Paris, France) completed the shutout with a win on the sixth line, beating Lopes 6-3, 7-5.
The Bobcats are back in action Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m., traveling to No. 6 Valdosta State University.
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.
