BATON ROUGE, La – In the SEC opener, No. 5 LSU was handed its second loss of the season, dropping to Georgia, 0-4, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
LSU falls to 9-2 and 0-1 in conference play, while Georgia improves to 8-1 and 1-0 in the conference.
“Credit to Georgia for playing well today,” said head coach Danny Bryan. “We got behind early and weren’t able to turn the match around. I have full confidence in our guys and know we will be ready to bounce back on Monday at Alabama.”
Entering court two with one loss on the season together were No. 63 Erik Arutiunian and Matias Ponce de Leon, facing off against William Janseon and Gabriele Vulpitta. Each team secured its first service games, resulting in a 1-1 stalemate to open the set. From there, the Bulldogs caught fire, taking a 3-1 lead after stealing their first break. With momentum, LSU was unable to regain its footing in the match, as Georgia capped off their five-game run with a 6-1 win.
Returning to court one were Sasa Markovic and Andrej Loncarevic, matched up against the ranked No. 64 duo of Arda Azkara and Santiago Giamichelle. The Tigers fell into an early hole, surrendering their first two service games of the match to fall to a 3-0 deficit. However, they struck back with a break of their own, bringing the score to 3-1. To maintain their two-game cushion, the Bulldogs approached the finish line facing multiple threats of a break. Ultimately, LSU suffered a 6-4 loss; Georgia earned the doubles point, taking a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Going in with a four-match win streak, Markovic took on the fifth court against Noah Johnston. The sophomore fell behind early, giving up the first three games before getting on the board at 3-1. Johnston remained in rhythm, though, putting together another three-game stretch to wrap the first set, 6-1. More of the same was in store for Georgia as the American took the first shot with a break in the opening game. Markovic struggled to settle in, and playing from behind made it difficult to get comfortable. Midway through the set at 3-2, Johnston strung together the final three games of the match to put it away, 6-2. The Bulldogs led the Tigers, 2-0.
At the fourth spot, Enzo Kohlmann squared off against Chen in a tightly contested opener. With breaks occurring in two of the first three games, the two found themselves even at two games apiece. They traded games until 4-3, but the graduate student created separation late, breaking at 5-3 before serving out the frame, 6-3. The second set began evenly again at 1-1, but Chen gained the upper hand earlier this time. His 2-1 advantage quickly doubled to 4-1, and Kohlmann struggled to gain any control. He added another game late, but the gap was too large to overcome as Chen sealed it with a 6-2 finish. A point away from the end, Georgia led LSU, 3-0.
Ponce de Leon made his debut on court six today against his first ranked opponent of the season and doubles rival, No. 77 Vulpitta. The two traded early service games to 2-1, until Vulpitta earned his first break to put him in command at 4-1. The pressure remained on Ponce de Leon, and although he was able to slip a game past, the Bulldog captured the last two games to close the door on the opening set, 6-2. The Spaniard came out sharp in the second set, holding serves until each split the first six games. Vulpitta made his move, converting a break to eventually widen the gap at 5-3. Ponce de Leon competed, adding another game and threatening to break back, but unfortunately, couldn’t hold off the 6-4 outcome. Georgia completed the 4-0 win over LSU.
Up Next
LSU will travel to Tuscaloosa to face the 3-6 Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday, Feb. 23, at 1:00 p.m. CT.
LSU vs Georgia
02/21/2026 at Athens, Ga.
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
#33 Georgia 4, #5 LSU 0
Singles competition
1. #42 Arda Azkara (UGA) vs. Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
2. #30 Will Jansen (UGA) vs. #53 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 3-6, 4-3, unfinished
3. #60 Santiago Giamichelle (UGA) vs. #102 Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
4. Derrick Chen (UGA) def. Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Noah Johnston (UGA) def. Sasa Markovic (LSU) 6-1, 6-2
6. #77 Gabriele Vulpitta (UGA) def. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #64 Arda Azkara/Santiago Giamichelle (UGA) def. Sasa Markovic/Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 6-4
2. Will Jansen/Gabriele Vulpitta (UGA) def. #63 Matias Ponce De Leon/Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 6-1
3. Enzo Kohlmann/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. Derrick Chen/Noah Johnston (UGA) 6-5
Match Notes:
LSU 9-2 (0-1); National ranking #5
Georgia 8-1 (1-0); National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,4,6)
Delayed due to rain