March 3, 2016
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech opens its 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a pair of matches on the road this weekend at seventh-ranked Wake Forest at 4 p.m. Saturday and No. 57 Duke at noon Sunday.
Live Scoring at Wake Forest | Live scoring at Duke | Live video at Duke
TEAM UPDATE – Georgia Tech (7-3) has won its last four matches, including dominant wins the last two weekends over Auburn, 6-1, and Tennessee, 4-0, both of whom were ranked in the 50s when the Yellow Jackets faced them, and has risen to No. 37 in this week’s ITA rankings. Tech started out 3-0 before suffering road losses to three ranked teams – No. 12 UCLA, No. 59 South Carolina and No. 11 Georgia.
Both Wake Forest and Duke are opening their conference scheduled this weekend. The Demon Deacons are 12-3 overall and riding a three-match winning streak, and are 8-1 at home. They defeated both Auburn and Tennessee by similar scores as the Yellow Jackets had against those teams. Wake has three singles players and two of its doubles teams listed in the ITA rankings.
Duke has won its last four matches to even its records at 6-6 and also has a common foe in Tennessee, whom the Blue Devils defeated 4-3.
SINGLES UPDATE – The Yellow Jackets are led at the top of their lineup by 6-foot-7 sophomore Christopher Eubanks (Atlanta, Ga.), who is 9-1 this spring, won his last three matches in a row and is ranked No. 12 in the nation. His only loss came against Georgia’s Wayne Montgomery, ranked No. 20.
Junior Carlos Benito (Madrid, Spain) has won his last three matches to improve to 5-5, playing mostly at No. 2. Head coach Kenny Thorne has shuffled players at the other four positions, with freshman Andrew Li (Hong Kong) finding the most success by winning six of his eight decisions. Li, along with sophomore Michael Kay (Alpharetta, Ga.), Cole Fiegel (Alachua, Fla.) and Nathan Rakitt (Marietta, Ga.) have all played multiple positions through the non-conference schedule.
DOUBLES UPDATE – Tech has won the doubles point in every match except against No. 12 UCLA, many times on the strength of their play at the No. 2 and 3 positions. Benito and Eubanks are 6-0 playing in the No. 2 position, while Li and Rakitt have won six straight at No. 3 since a loss to No. 12 UCLA.
Casey and Michael Kay, 3-2 in dual matches this spring playing the top position, but have not completed their match in any of the Jackets’ last three wins due to the strong play of the Jackets’ other two teams. They are No. 41 in the ITA rankings after opening at No. 36, and are 3-4 against ranked teams this year.
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.
