The shutout victories continue for the Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team with a pair of home-court triumphs Wednesday afternoon over NCAA Division II Belmont Abbey College (N.C.) at the GGC Tennis Facility.
The Grizzlies won the first match of the day 5-0 before coming back later for a 9-0 win to complete the sweep. The team has now won 65 consecutive matches and stands 10-0 for the 2017-18 season – all in shutout fashion.
In the first match, the No. 1 doubles team of senior Gilad Berman and junior Ayed Zatar won eight of its 10 games. Junior Rafael Coutinho teamed with sophomore Federico Herrera Duran for an 8-4 victory on the No. 2 court. Sophomores Gregor Hutterer and Sergio Valinotti gave GGC a 3-0 lead with an 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles.
Freshman Serge Becerra won all 12 games at No. 4 singles before sophomore Mika Kosonen clinched the victory with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles.
Later, it was much the same for the Grizzlies. Freshman Valentino Caratini and Becerra started off the victories by winning all eight games on the No. 3 doubles court. Berman and Zatar picked up an 8-1 win at No. 2 doubles, while Coutinho and Herrera Duran had an 8-6 win while playing at No. 1 doubles for the first time this spring.
GGC was dominant in singles, winning all six matches in straight sets. Valinotti won 12 of the 13 games at No. 6 singles, and Becerra registered a 6-0, 6-1 triumph at No. 3 singles to account for the team's fifth point of the match. Caratini, Herrera Duran, Zatar and Berman rounded out the winners in the afternoon match.
Results (Match 1)
Doubles
No. 1 Ayed Zatar/Gilad Berman (GGC) def. George Barfoot/James Delaney (BAC), 8-2
No. 2 Federico Herrera Duran/Rafael Coutinho (GGC) def. Andres Astudillo/Daniel Astudillo (BAC), 8-4
No. 3 Serge Becerra/Gregor Hutterer (GGC) def. Lorenzo Lopes/Tomas Pardo (BAC), 8-6
Singles
No. 1 Berman (GGC) vs. Barfoot (BAC) unfinished
No. 2 Zatar (GGC) vs. Kevin Yarzagaray (BAC) unfinished
No. 3 Coutinho (GGC) vs. A. Astudillo (BAC) unfinished
No. 4 Becerra (GGC) def. Ryan James (BAC) 6-0, 6-0
No. 5 Valentino Caratini (GGC) vs. Lopes (BAC) unfinished
No. 6 Mika Kosonen (GGC) def. Chip Moore (BAC) 6-1, 6-0
Results (Match 2)
Doubles
No. 1 Federico Herrera Duran/Rafael Coutinho (GGC) def. George Barfoot/James Delaney (BAC), 8-6
No. 2 Ayed Zatar/Gilad Berman (GGC) def. Andres Astudillo/Tomas Pardo (BAC), 8-1
No. 3 Serge Becerra/Valentino Caratini (GGC) def. Daniel Astudillo/Emmanuel Naranjo (BAC), 8-0
Singles
No. 1 Berman (GGC) def. Delaney (BAC) 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 Zatar (GGC) def. Kevin Yarzagaray (BAC) 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 Becerra (GGC) def. Naranjo (BAC) 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 Herrera Duran (GGC) def. Hunter Owen (BAC) 6-0, 6-0
No. 5 Caratini (GGC) def. Ryan James (BAC) 6-0, 6-0
No. 6 Sergio Valinotti (GGC) def. Thomas Rowzie (BAC) 6-0, 6-1
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to face NCAA Division I The Citadel Saturday, Feb. 24, at 9 a.m. from the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center in Atlanta.
