Jan. 23, 2015
THE FLATS – Coming off an encouraging performance against Georgia on the final day of last weekend’s MLK Invitational, Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team looks to build momentum in a 6 p.m. match Saturday against Furman at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
Admission is free to the match against the Paladins, and parking is available along Fowler Street and in the McCamish Pavilion parking lot. Furman is coming off a 5-2 loss to South Carolina last weekend and has fallen to two other ranked teams early in the season. The Yellow Jackets (2-0) defeated Georgia Southern and Mercer, losing only one point in the process, in their only two dual matches to date.
But Tech was boosted by a fine performance in the final day of the MLK Invitational, capturing four of seven singles matches and two of three doubles matches against the eighth-ranked Bulldogs last Monday.
“Furman’s Kelly Jones is a great coach and knows the game well. His team will be ready to play on Saturday,” said Tech coach Kenny Thorne. “Our team has a specific task every time we go out on the court. We have to correct our mistakes from this past weekend. We also did some good things that we need to continue doing. Every time we step on the court we are either strengthening our foundation or weakening it. The goal is to create a solid foundation so we are a better team as the season progresses. We definitely have competitors on our team so they will be looking forward to the fight.”
Sophomore Carlos Benito, who had won both his matches against Georgia Southern and Furman, won all three of his contests last weekend as well against foes from top-20 teams, and put icing on the cake by rallying for a three-set win against the Bulldogs’ Ben Wagland. He is 13-10 overall in singles this year.
Freshmen Christopher Eubanks and Michael Kay also pulled off impressive wins over the Bulldogs’ Nathan Pasha (ranked 15th nationally) and Paul Oosterbaan, respectively, while sophomore Cole Fiegel upended Eric Diaz in straight sets. Eubanks improved to 12-8 in singles, while Kay is 15-7.
Senior Eduardo Segura lost on the final day, but defeated opponents from Oklahoma and Columbia to improve to 16-6 on the year.
On the doubles front, Segura and Benito have won seven of their last eight decisions after defeating teams from Columbia and Georgia.
About Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis
Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team is in its 17th year under head coach Kenny Thorne. The Yellow Jackets have played in the NCAA Championship 14 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.
