Feb. 28, 2015
THE FLATS – Only one match kept the Georgia Tech men’s tennis team from a sweep of Stetson as the Yellow Jackets began Saturday afternoon’s double-header with a 6-1 victory. Freshmen Elijah Melendez scored the clinching point with a 6-1, 6-4 singles win at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 6-2 this spring, while the Hatters dropped to 3-5 overall.
Tech won the doubles point for the seventh time in nine matches this spring after the freshmen duo of Christopher Eubanks and Elijah Melendez outlasted the Hatters’ pairing of Nathan Debut and Chester Espie, 8-5, on court 2. Senior Eduardo Segura and sophomore Carlos Benito won their match on court 1, easily defeating Stetson’s Laurynas Antropikas and Loic Blanco, 8-1.
The Jackets continued their surge in singles by getting straight-set wins from Segura at court 4, Benito at court 3 and Melendez at court 6 to clinch the match. Segura defeated Ball, 6-0, 6-1, to improve to 20-8 this year, while Benito got by Julin, 6-2, 6-1, improving to 18-11. Melendez, a freshman, defeated Gonzalo Arroyo, 6-1, 6-4, to clinch the match for Tech.
“I thought we started off strong,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “We had two new doubles teams, and I think they are getting used to each other a little bit. It was nice that they [Eubanks and Melendez] came through and got the doubles point. I thought we started pretty strong in singles all the way through. I think they [Stetson] responded at No. 1 and No. 2 spots, played loose and came after us. It was good to see Elijah [Melendez] clinch at the No. 6 spot as a freshman. For Segura to finish off real quick was a positive. And the fact that Cole Fiegel and Christopher Eubanks were able to weather the storm was definitely a positive going into our next match.”
Eubanks earned Tech’s fifth point with a victory over Laurynas Antropikas at the No. 1 position. Eubanks took the first set, 6-4, but fell in the second set, 4-6. Trailing 2-4 in the final set, the Tech freshman fought back to win 6-4.
Daniel Yun lost on court 5 to Chester Espie, 3-6, 5-7, but Cole Fiegel collected the final singles win for the Jackets with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Loic Blanco on court 2.
Tech faces Tennessee Tech in the back half of Saturday’s double-header at 5:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech 6, Stetson 1
Feb 28, 2015 at Atlanta, Ga. (Ken Byers Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #57 Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. Laurynas Antropikas (STET) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. Cole Fiegel (GT) def. Loic Blanco (STET) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
3. Carlos Benito (GT) def. Simon Julin (STET) 6-2, 6-1
4. Eduardo Segura (GT) def. Graham Ball (STET) 6-0, 6-1
5. Chester Espie (STET) def. Daniel Yun (GT) 6-3, 7-5
6. Elijah Melendez (GT) def. Gonzalo Arroyo (STET) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #51 Carlos Benito/Eduardo Segura (GT) def. Laurynas Antropikas/Loic Blanco (STET) 8-1
2. Christopher Eubanks/Elijah Melendez (GT) def. Nathan Debut/Chester Espie (STET) 8-5
3. Cole Fiegel/Daniel Yun (GT) vs. Simon Julin/Graham Ball (STET) 6-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Stetson 3-5; Georgia Tech 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,3,6,1,5,2)
Match played indoors
