Nov. 4, 2015
THE FLATS – Four members of Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team are competing this weekend in the only clay court event on its schedule, the USTA Clay Court Invitational Thursday through Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Nathan Rakitt, Cole Fiegel, Daniel Yun and Andrew Li will represent the Yellow Jackets.
Tournament central (includes links to draws and ESPN3 coverage)
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Fourteen men’s and 17 women’s institutions will have players competing in singles and doubles throughout the weekend, with championship matches in all draws scheduled for Sunday. Play will be conducted at both the ESPN Wide World of Sports and Grand Cypress Resort Thursday and Friday, with the Wide World of Sports hosting all competition Saturday and Sunday. Competition Thursday and Sunday will be streamed live on ESPN3.
TEAM UPDATE – The USTA Clay Court Invitational is the fifth event on Georgia Tech’s fall schedule, which concludes next weekend with the Bulldog Scramble in Athens. Sophomore Christopher Eubanks is not competing in either event after receiving an at-large berth in next week’s USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y.
SINGLES UPDATE – Fiegel, a junior from Alachua, Fla., is 6-2 this fall and has the most experience of the Yellow Jackets playing on clay surfaces, having gone 4-2 in this event the last two years. He reached the round of 16 at the Southern Intercollegiate Championship and the round of 32 at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional this fall. Rakitt, a senior from Marietta, Ga., is the only Tech player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association fall rankings (No. 101) competing this weekend, having compiled a 4-5 singles record this fall.
Yun, a sophomore from Marietta, is 4-4 in singles, and Li, a freshman from Hong Kong, is 3-5. Yun won his first-round matches in the SIC and the Southeast Regional
DOUBLES UPDATE – Fiegel and Rakitt will form one of Tech’s two doubles teams in the tournament. They have played together only once this fall, a loss in the opening round of the Southern Intercollegiate, but are 21-17 together in their careers, including an 11-7 mark last year. Yun and Li will be the Yellow Jackets’ other team; they are 0-1 together.
HEAD COACH Kenny Thorne SAYS – “What do I expect in Orlando? Well, we are taking a freshman, a sophomore, a junior and a senior and playing on clay for the first and only time of the year, so it’s hard to predict results. I do expect the guys to focus on areas in their games that we have worked on and believe in the work they have put in. I expect us to be bold in our decision-making and fight harder and smarter than anyone else there. And I expect our guys to enjoy doing it as well. Florida State does a great job of hosting this event so we are excited to play.”
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.
