THE FLATS – Freshman Andres Martin picked up a huge win over No. 11 Alex Brown to highlight the first day of the MLK Invitational Tournament against No. 13 Illinois on Saturday at Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The win marked Martin’s fourth over a ranked opponent already this season.
Martin battled in the first set, winning the tiebreak to go up early. But Brown came back to even things up and sent the match to a deciding third set, where Martin gutted out the win, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.
Martin and fellow freshman Keshav Chopra also picked up a dominant 6-1 doubles win for the Jackets earlier in the day over the Illini’s Siphosothando Montsi (No. 48 in singles) and Fletcher Scott. Meanwhile, Marcus McDaniel and Pablo Schelcher added to Tech’s win total with a spirited 7-5 victory over Brown and Gui Gomes on court one.
Schelcher also picked up a big win in singles for the Jackets, topping Gomes, 6-3, 6-4. McDaniel pushed No. 61 Zeke Clark to the brink, but the freshman came up just short, falling 4-6, 6-3, 4-6.
Play continues on Sunday when the Jackets face No. t-19 Columbia, starting not before 1 p.m.
Saturday’s Results
Singles competition
Fletcher Scott (Illinois) def. Keshav Chopra (Georgia Tech) 6-3, 6-2
Andres Martin (Georgia Tech) def. #11 Alex Brown (Illinois) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3
#61 Zeke Clark (Illinois) def. Marcus McDaniel (Georgia Tech) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Lucas Horve (Illinois) def. Chris Yun (Georgia Tech) 6-2, 6-3
#48 Siphosothando Montsi (Illinois) def. Cole Gromley (Georgia Tech) 6-3, 6-4
Pablo Schelcher (Georgia Tech) def. Gui Gomes (Illinois) 6-3, 6-4
Alex Bancila (Illinois) def. Brandon Freestone (Georgia Tech) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3ct1
Doubles competition
Pablo Schelcher/Marcus McDaniel (Georgia Tech) def. Alex Brown/Gui Gomes (Illinois) 7-5
Andres Martin/Keshav Chopra (Georgia Tech) def. Siphosothando Montsi/Fletcher Scott (Illinois) 6-1
Zeke Clark/Alex Bancila (Illinois) def. Brandon Freestone/Chris Yun (Georgia Tech) 6-1
Vuk Budic/Lucas Horve (Illinois) def. Carlos Divar/Cole Gromley (Georgia Tech) 6-4
MLK Invitational Schedule
Sunday, January 19th
9 a.m. – South Carolina vs Illinois
Not before 1 p.m. – Georgia Tech vs Columbia
Monday, January 20th
9 a.m. – Illinois vs Columbia
Not before 1 p.m. – Georgia Tech vs South Carolina
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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