Kevin Huynh MTEN
1
Troy TROY (16-10)
4
Winner Georgia State GSUM (16-7)
Troy TROY
(16-10)
1
Final
4
Georgia State GSUM
(16-7)
Winner

Match Recap: Men's Tennis |

Men's Tennis Defeats Troy, 4-1, Advances to Fifth Straight Sun Belt Title Match

Peachtree City, Ga.— Entering the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, the No. 63 ranked Georgia State men's tennis team defeated Troy, 4-1, in the semifinal round of the tournament on Friday and will advance to the SBC Championship facing South Alabama on Saturday, April 16. Kevin Huynh clinched the match point for the Panthers with a victory on court No. 4 as GSU earned its 16th win for the season.

GSU continued its stellar play in doubles competition as the Panthers made quick work of opponents on the second and third courts. All-Sun Belt Doubles Second-Team duo Huynh and Harvey Maughan posted a win, 6-4, at the second position, and Patrick Lazo partnered with Diego Padilha to down Troy at the third position, 6-1.

Lazo and Padilha have teamed for 11 victories in doubles competition and currently ride a six-match winning streak at the No. 3 court. As a collective, the Panthers have secured wins in 18 of 23 doubles outings this season.

Senior Vazha Shubladze secured the first singles point for the Panthers with a one-sided victory, 6-1, 6-0, at the No. 3 court position earning GSU a 2-0 lead. All-Sun Belt Singles First-Team Andrei Duarte accounted for the team's third point with his 15th victory, 6-3, 6-3, at the top singles court position.

With Huynh's win, 6-4, 6-3, at the fourth court position, the fifth-year clinched the win for GSU as the team earned a trip to the SBC title match for the fifth consecutive season. Having clinched a victory for the Panthers in the team's home-opening match against Wofford earlier in the season, Huynh rounds out his fifth year of competition for GSU by securing the match point against Troy and helping lead the Panthers back to the 2022 SBC title match.

"It felt great coming back for my fifth year and getting that clinch early in the season," Huynh said. "I think it set us up for success knowing that our goal, ultimately, was to get back to the Sun Belt tournament and play for a championship. I'm really proud of the boys for showing grit and fighting so hard. It meant a lot being able to clinch in both doubles and singles and help give us another shot at the championship— I know all of the guys want it bad."

No. 63 GSU will battle South Alabama for the SBC Championship at Peachtree City Tennis Center in Peachtree City, Ga. on Saturday. GSU faces South Alabama in the conference championship for the fifth-straight season and looks to get past USA having fallen in the last three championship meetings with the Sun Belt foe.

The Panthers last SBC Tournament Championship came in the 2017 SBC title match against South Alabama. With the 2020 season of competition being canceled due to COVID-19, Huynh and GSU have fallen short against South Alabama in all three outings against the conference opponent from 2018-2021.
 
GSU previously defeated the conference foe in a sweep, 4-0, earlier in the spring. Saturday will offer the Panthers the opportunity to once again re-claim the SBC crown against the defending Sun Belt champions USA.

"We've played South Alabama every year in the championship," Huynh said. "I wouldn't mind playing them again."

The Panthers' championship outing against the Jaguars is set for 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live scoring provided by the conference. Additional information regarding live stats and broadcasting will be posted on the web and to the team's social media accounts on Saturday. 

Follow the Georgia State men's tennis team on Twitter and Instagram (@GSUMTennis) for continued news and updates leading up to the SBC title.

 
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