ATLANTA -- After an impressive campaign, five Panthers earned All-Sun Belt honors and Vazha Shubladze was named the 2021 Sun Belt Player of the Year as the conference announced its postseason awards on Wednesday afternoon.
Shubladze is the first Panther to win a Player of the Year award since Nejc Podkrajsek was the CAA Player of the Year in 2008. Shubladze accumulated 13 wins in singles action this season all on the top court, including a perfect 4-0 performance in regular season conference action. Shubladze brought down four ranked opponents. In addition to his impressive singles play, the junior found success with partner Mihai Marinescu on the third court, registering eight victories. Additionally, Shubladze was twice named the Sun Belt Player of the Week.Â
In addition to earning the top honor, Shubladze was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team Singles. Harvey Maughan, a junior transfer, also accumulated 13 wins in his first season in blue and white in route to being named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team Singles. The native of England represented the Panthers in nearly every position during singles action and was once named Sun Belt Player of the Week.
For the first time in Georgia State history two pairs were named to the All-Sun Belt First Team Doubles. Maughan and senior Kevin Huynh registered 11 wins, besting the No. 21 pair from South Florida. The duo went on two separate four match winning streaks throughout the season. Huynh and Maughan were tabbed as the No. 65 doubles team in the latest ITA rankings. Maughan is one of four players in the Sun Belt to be named All-Conference in both singles and doubles.
Andrei Duarte and Roberts Grinvalds led the team with 12 doubles victories, including impressive wins over the No. 39 ranked pair from Charlotte and No. 31 ranked duo from Georgia Tech. The pair was named the No. 86Â doubles team in the latest ITA rankings. This marks the second time that Duarte has earned All-Sun Belt honors for his doubles play, as the senior earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second Team Doubles in 2018.
Here's a complete list of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Men's Tennis honors:
Player of the Year
Vazha Shubladze, Georgia State
Newcomer of the Year
Julien Evrard, South Alabama
Player to Watch
Alan Sau Franco, UTA
Freshman of the Year
Carles Anton, Troy
Coach of the Year
Nick Brochu, South Alabama
First Team All-Conference Singles
Vazha Shubladze, Georgia State
Julien Evrard, South Alabama
Clement Marzol, South Alabama
Pelayo Antuna, Troy
Bastien Huon, Coastal Carolina
Angel Diaz, UTA
First Team All-Conference Doubles
Clement Marzol and Loic Cloes, South Alabama
Andrei Duarte and Roberts Grinvalds, Georgia StateÂ
Kevin Huynh and Harvey Maughan, Georgia StateÂ
Second Team All-Conference Singles
Carles Anton, Troy
Ivailo Keremedchiev, Louisiana
Loic Cloes, South Alabama
Amer Bedwan, Troy
Sebastien Collard, South Alabama
Harvey Maughan, Georgia State
Second Team All-Conference Doubles
Nico Simkin and Christopher Tasker, Troy
Ivailo Keremedchiev and Kacper Dworak, Louisiana
Diego Giraldo and Pyry Hyrkkonen, Coastal Carolina
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