Russell and Sarkar Take Bulldogs to the Limit
5/24/2021 8:11:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Fall in three sets
In Brief: Conrad Russell and Sumit Sarkar extended the seventh-ranked doubles team in the country to the limit before the Owls duo fell to Trent Bryde and Tyler Zink of George in the opening round of the NCAA Men's Doubles Championship in Orlando, Florida on Monday.
The Details: After their lone service break of the day led to a loss in the first set, 6-3, Russell and Sarkar bounced back in the second. Despite missing on five break points in the Bulldogs first two service games, the Owls earned a break in their third opportunity as Sarkar flipped a deep lob that neither Bryde or Zink could reach in time to return. The Owls added a second break to take command of the set and cruise to a 6-2 win and force a deciding 10-point superset. The teams battled evenly through the first six points before the Bulldogs seized control by winning five of the next eight to close it out.
The Stats: Georgia edged the Owls in total points won 58-55. The teams were nearly even in service points won, the Georgia winning 36 of 60 (60%) and Rice 33 of 56 (59%). Rice saved three of four service game deuce points, Georgia won two of three.
Efe Ustundag: "I was really proud of how they guys played today. I felt like we were a little bit nervous at the start and we didn't quite get after our shots. But once we did, we played every bit as good of tennis as the #7 team in the country--if not better. We didn't face a break point in the second set in any of our games but we had a break point against them in every one of their games. They kind of flipped the script in the last set to what had happened in the first. They were better on their first serves and that was the decisive factor. These guys really did elevate their game over the last three weeks of training to be in a position to take a strong shot at one of the best teams in the country."
The Details: After their lone service break of the day led to a loss in the first set, 6-3, Russell and Sarkar bounced back in the second. Despite missing on five break points in the Bulldogs first two service games, the Owls earned a break in their third opportunity as Sarkar flipped a deep lob that neither Bryde or Zink could reach in time to return. The Owls added a second break to take command of the set and cruise to a 6-2 win and force a deciding 10-point superset. The teams battled evenly through the first six points before the Bulldogs seized control by winning five of the next eight to close it out.
The Stats: Georgia edged the Owls in total points won 58-55. The teams were nearly even in service points won, the Georgia winning 36 of 60 (60%) and Rice 33 of 56 (59%). Rice saved three of four service game deuce points, Georgia won two of three.
Efe Ustundag: "I was really proud of how they guys played today. I felt like we were a little bit nervous at the start and we didn't quite get after our shots. But once we did, we played every bit as good of tennis as the #7 team in the country--if not better. We didn't face a break point in the second set in any of our games but we had a break point against them in every one of their games. They kind of flipped the script in the last set to what had happened in the first. They were better on their first serves and that was the decisive factor. These guys really did elevate their game over the last three weeks of training to be in a position to take a strong shot at one of the best teams in the country."
Players Mentioned
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