Georgia Upsets Top-Seeded UCLA, 4-2

Fourth-seeded Georgia took the doubles’ point early and then held on to upset top-seeded UCLA, 4-2, in the semifinals of the NCAA men’s tennis championship at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Monday night.

Georgia won the doubles’ point by winning the decisive second match between Georgia’s Steven Baldas and Rafael Jordan and UCLA’s Alex Decret and Eric Taino, 9-7.

The Bruins (25-4) rallied to take the first two singles matches. At No. 3 singles, Bruin Kevin Kim defeated Steven Baldas, 6-4, 6-3, and at No. 4, UCLA’s Vince Allegre defeated Hisham Hemeda, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4

But Georgia (23-3) then won the next three singles matches. Eddie Jacquez defeated Decret, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3; Kevin Sessions knocked off Matt Breen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, and Jordan defeated Jason Cook, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The Bulldogs will face two-time defending champion Stanford tonight for the championship. This is their first appearance in the finals since 1993 when they lost, 5-3, to USC.

The Cardinal defeated Mississippi, 4-2, in the other semifinal as Ryan Wolters, Bob Bryan and Grant Elliott scored straight-set victories.

Wolters, Stanford’s No. 1 player, beat Johan Hede, 7-5, 6-2; Bryan overpowered Sebastien DeChaunac, 6-1, 6-3, and Elliott topped Robert Abendroth, 6-2, 7-5, as the Cardinal (25-2) moved within one victory of winning its third straight title.

Stanford, which also won three consecutive NCAA championships from 1988-90, defeated UCLA in the finals last year.