Nov. 13, 2015
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech sophomore Christopher Eubanks defeated a pair of ranked opponents on Friday, both in straight sets, to reach the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y.
USTA/ITA National Indoor singles draw | Watch semifinals on ESPN3
Eubanks, No. 24 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national singles rankings, defeated Ohio State junior Herkko Pollanen, ranked 93rd in the nation, 7-5, 6-2 Friday in the round of 16, then defeated Stanford sophomore Tom Fawcett, ranked No. 20, 6-3, 7-5, in the quarterfinals Friday afternoon. He won five straight games in the second set to erase a 5-2 deficit, breaking Fawcett.
“He played a really good game to break my serve early in the second set. I just had to tell myself to stay composed,” said Eubanks, who broke Fawcett’s serve twice during the five-game streak. “I held serve when it was 5-2 in a really long game. I got a little extra juice in my legs after that. I was able to get a break to get to 4-5. It was really important to not get broken again and make my returns.”
The 6-foot-7 sophomore from Atlanta will face Andre Goransson from California in Saturday’s semifinals, to begin not before 10 a.m. Goransson, a junior from Sweden ranked No. 22 in the nation, got to the semis by defeating fourth-seeded Texas A&M’s Arthur Rinderknech, 6-2, 7-5. All semifinal matches will be streamed live on ESPN3.
Eubanks has compiled an 11-3 record in singles this fall and a 4-2 mark against ranked opponents. Earliler in the fall, he reached the semifinals of the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens and the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional in Gainesville, Fla.
“Chris showed a lot of grit today, especially closing out the match against Fawcett,” said Tech assistant coach Derek Schwandt, who is with Eubanks in New York while the rest of the Yellow Jackets are playing in Athens, Ga., this weekend. “He is imposing his game and serving effectively. He has another great opportunity to get better tomorrow.”
The National Indoor Intercollegiate features singles and doubles draws for both men and women that begin Thursday and conclude with championship matches on Sunday.
BULLDOG SCRAMBLE UPDATE
The Yellow Jackets enjoyed a productive morning session, winning four of its five singles matches and two of its three doubles contests. Michael Kay, Carlos Benito, Andrew Li and Elijah Melendez all picked up singles victories in the morning, with only Kay needing to go to a third set.
Michael and Casey Kay defeated Wayne Montgomery and Emil Reinberg of Georgia, while the sophomore team of Elijah Melendez and Daniel Yun beat Nathan Griffin and Daniel Rayl of Notre Dame. Both teams improved to 7-1 this fall.
But the Jackets lost all four matches in the afternoon and finished the day 4-5 in singles.
Friday Singles Results
Michael Kay (Georgia Tech) def. Grayson Broadus (Notre Dame), 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
Carlos Benito (Georgia Tech) def. Grant Solomon (Harvard), 6-3, 6-3
Andrew Li (Georgia Tech) def. Sam Swank (South Carolina), 6-4, 6-3
Elijah Melendez (Georgia Tech) def. Brendon Kempin (Notre Dame), 6-4, 6-4
Conor Haughey (Harvard) def. Casey Kay (Georgia Tech), 7-5, 6-3
Walker Duncan (Georgia) def. Michael Kay (Georgia Tech), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
Eddy Covalschi (Notre Dame) def. Carlos Benito (Georgia Tech), 7-5, 6-4
Daniel Rayl (Notre Dame) def. Elijah Melendez (Georgia Tech), 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
Chris Morrow (Harvard) def. Casey Kay (Georgia Tech), 6-4, 6-4
Friday Doubles Results
Casey Kay/Michael Kay (Georgia Tech) def. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (Georgia), 7-6(9)
Sebastian Beltrame/Kenny Tao (Harvard) def. Carlos Benito/Andrew Li (Georgia Tech), 6-4
Elijah Melendez/Daniel Yun (Georgia Tech) def. Nathan Griffin/Daniel Rayl (Notre Dame), 7-5
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S TENNIS
Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team is in its 18th year under head coach Kenny Thorne. The Yellow Jackets have played in the NCAA Championship 15 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.
