Feb. 22, 2014
Tallahassee, Fla. – Freshman Cole Fiegel won a three-set match at No. 5 singles for Georgia Tech’s only point Saturday as 38th-ranked Florida State scored a 6-1 victory over the No. 42 Yellow Jackets in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
Fiegel, from Alachua, Fla., defeated Michael Rinaldi, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) to improve to 7-1 in dual matches this spring, but FSU had already clinched the match by then.
Carlos Benito and Eduardo Segura suffered their first doubles loss of the spring, 8-6 to the No. 51 team of Dominic Cotrone and Blake Davis as the Seminoles captured the doubles point. FSU then reeled off three consecutive straight-set wins in doubles to secure the match.
“They outplayed us today,” said Tech coach Kenny Thorne, whose team returns to action Thursday afternoon at No. 11 Georgia. “It would have been an interesting match had we won the doubles point. We need some good work this week getting ready for Georgia. We will be ready.”
Cotrone, the nation’s No. 112 singles player, defeated Tech’s Nathan Rakitt, 6-4, 6-2, on court 1 to get FSU started in singles. Marco Nunez followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win over the Jackets’ Casey Kay at No. 4, and No. 98 Cristian Gonzalez-Mendez won 6-4, 6-3 over Segura at No. 3 for the clinching point.
The rest of the singles matches went to three sets, Benito falling to Davis at No. 2, and Will Showers succumbing to Grayson Goldin at No. 6.
#38 Florida State 6, #42 Georgia Tech 1Feb 22, 2014 at Tallahassee, Fla. (Scott Speicher Tennis Center)
Singles competition 1. #112 Dominic Cotrone (FS) def. Nathan Rakitt (GT) 6-2, 6-3 2. Blake Davis (FS) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 6-2, 6-7 (8-10), 1-0 (13-11) 3. #98 Cristian Gonzalez Mendez (FS) def. Eduardo Segura (GT) 6-4, 6-3 4. Marco Nunez (FS) def. Casey Kay (GT) 6-4, 6-2 5. Cole Fiegel (GT) def. Michael Rinaldi (FS) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) 6. Grayson Goldin (FS) def. Will Showers (GT) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
Doubles competition 1. #51 Dominic Cotrone/Blake Davis (FS) def. #15 Carlos Benito/Eduardo Segura (GT) 8-6 2. Marco Nunez/Grayson Goldin (FS) def. Nathan Rakitt/Casey Kay (GT) 8-6 3. C. Gonzalez Mendez/Michael Rinaldi (FS) vs. Cole Fiegel/Will Showers (GT) 6-7, unfinished
Match Notes Georgia Tech 6-2; National ranking #42 Florida State 10-2; National ranking #38 Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,4,3,6,2,5)
