Yesterday I said the tennis team was finally looking healthy and motivated. After last night, you can add determined to that description.With the match tied at 3 courts a piece, Jamie Hunt (pictured) must have known the whole thing was in his hands. Hunt absolutely destroyed UVa's Sanam Singh in the biggest third set of the year. The Dawgs beat #1 seed and previously undefeated UVa 4-3 with Hunt's dominating 6-0 third set. I don't know if Singh was hurt or was cramping up, but it was an ugly display as Hunt kept hitting winners and Singh kept hanging his head. Hunt, a sophomore from San Antonio, came up huge.
So now the Dawgs go for the NCAA title tonight in Tulsa. Georgia has never won the whole thing away from Athens. They'll face an equally hot Texas team, who has upset #2 Ohio State and #3 UCLA to earn a spot in tonight's final. The Dawgs beat the Horns 4-2 earlier this year at the national indoor championships. It was a tight match, but Luis Flores didn't play. Flores is back in the lineup and is looking really, really good. He won last night 6-2, 6-1.
The Horns and the Dawgs have some history here. Coach Diaz and Texas coach Michael Center were once close friends. When Travis Helgeson transferred from Texas to Georgia after being named Big 12 Player of the Year, coach Center made some accusations toward Coach Diaz. I admit I don't know the whole story, but I know Center and Diaz aren't on good terms over it.
Tonight's match airs on ESPNU at 7:00 PM Eastern.
Quinton
(Update: I usually write these things right after the score goes final. Last night, I was watching lots of tennis, switching from one court to another. So, I missed the injury time outs called by Sanam Singh. It seems he was badly cramping. Singh could have retired, giving Hunt the match, but the guy fought through it and played it out. That takes a lot of guts since tennis is a game that requires not just skill, but speed and quickness. If you're cramping up, it's tough to compete. Georgia decided not to celebrate the victory on the court. They simply shook hands and walked away. It was a class act by the team and if I had known the full story, I would have used some different verbs last night. A tip of my cap to Sanam Singh.)
