ATLANTA--The Georgia State men's tennis team took two 7-0 victories on Sunday at the Sharon Lester Tennis Center and made history in the process.
The Panthers improved their record to 11-2 with wins over UNC Asheville in the day match and Georgia Southwestern State in the night cap. The 11-2 start to the season for GSU is its best start since the 1993 season, a year in which Georgia State finished 15-3.
"We beat a good UNC Asheville team 7-0 after beating them 5-2 last year, that was a big statement for us," third-year head coach Chase Hodges said. "We followed that up with another 7-0 victory over Georgia Southwestern State which was big."
The win vs. UNC Asheville improved GSU's record to 3-0 against the Bulldogs under the leadership of Hodges. The back-to-back 7-0 wins were Georgia State's first since defeating Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern on Feb. 23 at the Sharon Lester Tennis Center last year. The Panthers have now won seven matches in a row dating back to Feb. 19.
Notable accomplishments on the day included sophomore Thomas Cook and freshman Matias Hatem continuing their strong play of late. Cook extended his win streak in singles matches to seven with two victories on the day. Hatem extended his singles win streak to nine matches. Hatem is now 12-1 to begin his career at Georgia State while Cook is now 9-4 on the season.
Georgia State 7, UNC Asheville 0
Freshman Sofiane Chevallier clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles against UNC Asheville's Ryan Matthews. Classmate Ismael Lahlou gave Georgia State its first singles victory on the day by defeating the Bulldogs (6-5) Thomas Rees 6-1, 6-2.
Hatem took a 6-4, 6-0 triumph at the No. 2 spot against Matt Waissen. Senior Juan Pablo Gutierrez grabbed a 6-0, 7-6 win at No. 6 and junior Victor Valente earned a 6-4, 6-4, win at No. 1 to close the match.
Valente and Gutierrez kicked the match off with a 8-3 victory at No. 1 doubles over UNC Asheville's Jonas Brobeck and Matt Waissen. Brobeck and Waissen were 8-1 heading into Sunday's match. Chevallier and Lahlou, playing at No. 3 doubles, won six-straight games on the way to a 8-3 win over Schubel and Conaty.
Cook and Hatem, playing for the first time together, rallied from being down 4-2 to earn a 8-5 victory at No. 2 doubles.
Georgia State 7, Georgia Southwestern 0
Freshman Jose Ortiz earned his first collegiate victory, a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at No. 6 singles to highlight GSU's 7-0 win vs. Georgia Southwestern State (3-4). Ortiz defeated sophomore Chris Eastwood for his first victory.
Freshman Michael Vallejo earned a 6-3, 6-3, win over Georgia Southwestern's Jake Koonce for his second win as a Panther. Vallejo earned the victory at No. 5 singles.
Cook clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 2 singles against Yvan Ruelle. Cook also paired with Hatem at No. 2 doubles for a dominating 8-0 win earlier in the match as the Panthers swept the doubles point. Gutierrez and Valente took a 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles while Chevallier and Lahlou won 8-3 at No. 3 doubles.
Chevallier and Lahlou each took 6-0, 6-0, wins at No. 3 and 4 singles respectively. Hatem won 6-1, 6-0, over Stephen Moore at No. 1 singles.
Georgia State next travels to Statesboro, Ga., to take on instate rival Georgia Southern and Atlantic Sun member Stetson. The Panthers and Hatters square off on Saturday, Mar. 10, in Statesboro to kick off the weekend set. Georgia State and Georgia Southern play the next day. Visit the men's tennis page on www.GeorgiaStateSports.com for a preview of both matches.
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