Sept. 23, 2011
Athens, Ga. – All four Georgia Tech players in Division I singles and both teams in Division I doubles advanced Friday in the first round of the Southern Intercollegiate Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Juan Spir, the fifth seed, Kevin King, the 13th seed, Dusan Miljevic and Juan Melian Puigventos all won their first-round matches in straight sets. The doubles teams of King and Miljevic and Spir and Melian also were victorious.
Spir made quick work of NC State’s Ivan Sanchez Gomez, 6-2, 6-2, Friday, while King dispatched Michael Alford of Florida, 6-3, 6-1. Miljevic stopped Carson Kadi of Samford, 6-4, 6-4, and Melian overtook Chip Cox of South Carolina, 6-4, 6-3, for his 17th consecutive win dating back to last spring.
Second-round action begins at 12 noon Saturday with Spir facing Spencer Newman of Florida. Miljevic will face the 12th seed, Rok Bonin of Minnesota, at 12:30 p.m. Melian takes on Ignacio Taboada of Georgia at 1 p.m., followed by King vs. Zach White of Mississippi State at 2 p.m.
Tech’s freshmen each lost their first-round matches Friday. Eduardo Segura Mandarino fell to Chris Mark of Davidson, 7-5, 7-5, while Vikram Hundal dropped a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 decision to Shea Thomas of Liberty in Division II. Colin Edwards lost in Division III to Maks Gold of Kentucky, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. All three players face consolation matches Saturday.
In Round of 32 doubles, the eighth-seeded team of Melian and Spir (8) lost to Stetson’s Didrik Berg and Njal Stene, 9-8 (4), while King and Miljevic, seeded seventh, got by Roberto Ribeiro and Jeremy Bonnevalle of East Tennessee State, 8-3. King and Miljevic are in the Round of 16 Saturday afternoon.
