ROME, Ga. – Mahak Jain came in clutch once again, clinching a 4-3 victory over No. 24/20 Miami Saturday afternoon to secure a spot in the 2021 ACC Championships title match. The No. 16 Yellow Jackets took the doubles point and singles victories from Victoria Flores, Ava Hrastar and Jain to make their seventh appearance in the ACC Championship match since 1986.
DOUBLES – With victories on courts one and two, the Yellow Jackets took the early lead, 1-0. Tech’s No. 21 tandem of Ava Hrastar and Gia Cohen gave the Jackets the edge, capturing a 6-3 victory on court two over No. 24 Maya Tahan and Diana Khodan. The pair raced out with a 4-0 lead before the Hurricanes got on the scoreboard winning the next two games, 4-2. Tech took a 5-3 advantage and closed out the match, 6-3, for the lead. At the top spot, No. 2 Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores clinched the match with a 6-4 decision over No. 25 Estela Perez-Somarriba and Isabella Pfenning. The Jackets erased an early 2-0 deficit, rattling off the next four games to gain a 4-2 lead. Holding a 5-3 advantage, Flores and Jones served out the match for a 6-3 victory to clinch the doubles point.
SINGLES – Georgia Tech took a 3-0 match lead winning the first two singles matches, but Miami would battle back to even the score at 3-all. Flores put the Jackets up 2-0 with a win on court two, dominating No. 14 Isabella Pfenning in straight sets. The 20th-ranked Jacket was on serve at 4-all in the opening set before taking the next two games for a 6-4 win. Flores carried momentum into the second set, quickly gaining a 4-2 lead and closed out the match, 6-2, for her 18th singles win of the season.
Minutes later, Hrastar cushioned Tech’s lead from court three, topping Daevenia Achong it a straight set battle. Hrastar trailed the Hurricane, 5-4, in the first set, but regrouped to claim the next three games and take the opener, 7-5. The freshman Jacket led 4-3 in the second set and held strong for a 6-4 victory to put Tech up, 3-0, in the match.
Miami won the next three singles matches on courts one, six and four to setup a 3-3 tally as all eyes turned to court five where Jain faced Diana Khodan. Jain cruised in the first set, 6-3, but Khodan responded taking the second set, 6-3, to force a deciding third set. The freshman wasted no time taking a comfortable 5-0 lead in the final set over Khodan and pocketed the match with a 6-1 final set to clinch the match for Georgia Tech, 4-3.
UP NEXT – The Yellow Jackets will face top seed and No. 1 North Carolina at 10 a.m. on ACC Network Extra. Georgia Tech will seek its fifth ACC Championship on Sunday having claimed the title in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. No. 2 Kenya Jones/Victoria Flores (GT) def. No. 25 Estela Perez-Somarriba/Isabella Pfenning (MIA) 6-4
2. No. 21 Ava Hrastar/Gia Cohen (GT) def. No. 24 Maya Tahan/Diana Khodan (MIA) 6-3
3. Florencia Urrutia/Daevnia Achong (MIA) def. Monika Dedaj/Carol Lee (GT) 6-4
Order of finish: 2,1,3
SINGLES
1. No. 4 Estela Perez-Somarriba (MIA) def. No. 6 Kenya Jones (GT) 6-2, 6-3
vs. 2. No. 20 Victoria Flores (GT) def. No. 14 Isabella Pfenning (MIA) 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 119 Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Daevenia Achong (MIA) 7-5, 6-4
4. Florencia Urrutia (MIA) def. Carol Lee (GT) 6-4, 6-3
5. Mahak Jain (GT) def. Diana Khodan (MIA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
6. Maya Tahan (MIA) def. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) 0-6, 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 6, 4, 5
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 Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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