Feb. 28, 2015
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech freshmen Elijah Melendez and Christopher Eubanks picked up straight-set singles wins Saturday evening as the Yellow Jackets handled Tennessee Tech, 7-0, to complete a sweep of a men’s tennis double-header at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
Tech, which had beaten Stetson, 6-1, earlier in the day, improved to 7-2 for the spring, while the Golden Eagles fell to 1-6. The Yellow Jackets open Atlantic Coast Conference play next weekend at Clemson and Miami.
Eubanks and Melendez won their second doubles match of the day on court No. 2 to help secure the doubles point for the Yellow Jackets, downing Eduardo Mena and Alvaro Cintas, 8-4. Earlier, sophomore Cole Fiegel and freshman Daniel Yun had partnered to win 8-3 over Artem Tarasov and Jorge Alfonzo on court No. 3. Sophomore Carlos Benito and senior Eduardo Segura fell to the Golden Eagles pairing of Alberto Esteban and Alex Arovin, 1-8, on court No. 1.
“Their [Tennessee Tech’s] No. 1 doubles team played really well,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “But we were able to get all of our errors out of the way for every other match. Credit goes to Tennessee Tech because they played really well. They kind of put pressure on our two and three to get the doubles point, and we did a good job of getting it. “
Segura was the first to win his singles match, 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 4 spot over Alvaro Cintas. Eubanks, ranked No. 57th in the nation, beat Tennessee Tech’s Alex Arovin, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 1 spot to leave the Jackets on the edge of victory. Only minutes later, Melendez locked up a 6-1, 6-0 win against Jorge Alfonzo at No. 6 to give Tech its second victory on the day.
Carlos Benito battled back from a deficit in the second set to defeat the Golden Eagles’ Esteban, 6-2, 6-4, on court 2 and improve to 8-1 this spring. Freshman Daniel Yun and sophomore Cole Fiegel battled in the two longest matches of the day at courts No. 5 and No. 3, respectively.
Yun and Tennessee Tech’s Carlos Tejas fought back and forth for over an hour before Yun took the first set, 6-3. The Yellow Jacket freshman left nothing to chance and won his second set, 6-4. Fiegel outlasted Mena, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3, to complete the sweep for the Yellow Jackets and improve to 9-1 this spring.
“I thought Christopher Eubanks returned as well as I have seen him return,” said Thorne. “Eddie [Segura] did a great job of just finishing off and being the catalyst to get us out ahead 2-0. And Elijah [Melendez] clinched twice in a row. For him to do that as a freshman, he should get a lot of confidence from that.”
Georgia Tech 7, Tennessee Tech 0
Feb. 28, 2014 at Atlanta, Ga. (Ken Byers Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #57 Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. Alex Arovin (TTU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Carlos Benito (GT) def. Alberto Esteban (TTU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Cole Fiegel (GT) def. Eduardo Mena (TTU) 2-6, 7-6, 6-3
4. Eduardo Segura (GT) def. Alvaro Cintas (TTU) 6-0, 6-1
5. Daniel Yun (GT) def. Carlos Tejas (TTU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Elijah Melendez (GT) def. Jorge Alfonzo (TTU) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Alberto Esteban/Alex Arovin (TTU) def. #51 Carlos Benito/Eduardo Segura (GT) 8-1
2. Christopher Eubanks/Elijah Melendez (GT) def. Eduardo Mena/Alvaro Cintas (TTU) 8-4
3. Cole Fiegel/Daniel Yun (GT) def. Artem Tarasov/Jorge Alfonzo (TTU) 8-3
Match Notes:
Tennessee Tech 1-7; Georgia Tech 7-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,1,6,2,5,3)
Match played indoors
