March 13, 2010
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team, continuing a run of matches against ranked opponents, plays its Atlantic Coast Conference home opener Sunday at 12 noon by hosting Miami at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
The Yellow Jackets (8-3 overall, 0-1 ACC), who dropped their first ACC match Feb. 21 at No. 18 Florida State, have since won two straight, losing just one match, and risen to No. 26 in the latest ITA national rankings. Miami, at No. 35, represents the eighth top-55 opponent Tech has faced in its last nine matches.
The Hurricanes (5-3 overall, 0-1 ACC), who also lost to FSU in their ACC opener, have won the last three meetings between the teams and own a 30-5 all-time series record against the Jackets.
“Miami has been one of the top ACC tennis schools over the past few years so it is a big match for us,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “We hope a lot of Tech fans will come out and help push us through this match, because it will be a tough one. We are getting better as a team, and this match would really help us build some momentum going into the heart of ACC play.”
Guillermo Gomez, a junior from Alicante, Spain, ranked No. 5 in the nation, leads the Yellow Jackets on the court, posting a 19-4 overall singles record this year, 6-2 in dual matches, all from the No. 1 position. He defeated his FSU opponent, 35th-ranked Jean Yves-Aubone, in three sets on Feb. 21, and is 9-3 against ranked opponents.
Thorne is also getting solid play from Kevin King, a sophomore from Peachtree City, Ga., who has won all four of his matches since returning from an eight-month injury layoff. King, who played in the No. 2 position in Tech’s last outing against UNC-Wilmington, has yet to lose a set.
Junior Eliot Potvin, 15-7 in singles and 9-3 in dual matches, junior Dean O’Brien, 11-10 overall and 6-6 in dual matches, and freshmen Magin Ortiga (13-9, 7-3) and Juan Spir (7-9, 4-6) have been regulars in the Tech lineup over the last several matches.
