Sept. 12, 2013
THE FLATS – With a roster nearly half full of newcomers, Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team opens its fall schedule with the first of five fall events, the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Ga.
The oldest collegiate tennis tournament in the country takes place at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, where head coach Kenny Thorne and the Yellow Jackets hope to finish the year next spring when the NCAA Championships are held there.
Two Tech freshmen, Carlos Benito of Madrid, Spain and Cole Fiegel of Alachua, Fla., will see their first collegiate action. Sophomore Casey Kay of Alpharetta, Ga., who went 8-9 at Georgia last year before transferring to Tech, will play his first matches as a Yellow Jacket in a familiar place.
Returning players Colin Edwards, a junior from Valrico, Fla., and Anish Sharma, a sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., also will complete this weekend. Edwards went 3-11 last year, and Sharma was 8-21.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys on this team, and the Southern Intercollegiate is a good tournament to begin with and see where everybody is,” said head coach Kenny Thorne, who is beginning his 16th season at Tech. “We’ve got a couple of injuries, so we’re only taking five guys this weekend. We’re looking forward to it.
“Carlos is a strong kid who played pretty well in a tournament last weekend up at Wake Forest, and he’ll be playing doubles this weekend with Casey Kay, who is very familiar with the courts over there. We’re playing around with the doubles a little, but I think we’ll have Colin Edwards play with Cole Fiegel, another freshman who was injured this summer and didn’t get to play so much. But he’s made good improvement in first few weeks here since school started.”
The 2013 tournament features participants from 28 schools: Alabama, Armstrong Atlantic, Barry University, Charlotte, Clemson, College of Charleston, East Tennessee State, Florida Atlantic, Furman, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Lander, Liberty, Mercer, Murray State, Portland, South Florida, Stetson, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, UAB, UCF, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Winthrop.
The field will likely be divided into three singles divisions and two doubles divisions, and there will be a champion from each division. We will play at least two rounds of singles consolation for first round losers, but no doubles consolation.
FIRST-ROUND MATCHES SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY
Division I Singles Round of 64 – Carlos Benito (GT) vs. Nathan Debut (Stetson)
Division II Singles Round of 64 – Casey Kay (GT) vs. Ricardo Pabon (ETSU), Cole Fiegel (GT) vs. Robert Dubuque (FAU), Anish Sharma (GT) vs. Franco Echenique (Barry)
Division III Singles Round of 64 – Colin Edwards (GT) vs. Egon Samaai (Liberty)
Division I Doubles Round of 64 – Carlos Benito/Casey Kay (GT) bye, Cole Fiegel/Colin Edwards (GT) vs. Austin Emmet/Oliver Snalder (Mercer)
TECH HOSTING USTA/ITA REGIONAL IN OCTOBER
Georgia Tech will serve as the host for this year’s USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Oct. 11-15 at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. It is the first major event the Yellow Jackets will host at its 9-month-old facility.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association join forces to conduct 16 such events around the country that weekend. The Southeast Regional event features a 64-player main draw in singles, preceded by qualifying rounds, and a 64-team draw in doubles, with the field consisting of collegiate players from Georgia and Florida.
Qualifying begins Oct. 11, and championship matches in singles and doubles will be played Oct. 15. Admission for the event will be free.
About Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis
Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team is in its 16th year under head coach Kenny Thorne. The Yellow Jackets have played in the NCAA Championship 14 times.
Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_MTEN). For more information on Tech men’s tennis, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
