Sept. 25, 2014
GT Invitational Brackets | Coach Thorne interview
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s four freshmen players will stay home for the Georgia Tech Invitational this weekend, while its four veteran players head to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in qualifying rounds of the Saint Francis Health Systems ITA All-American Championships.
The Tech Invitational will take place Friday through Sunday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, with the Yellow jackets hosting 48 players from nine different schools in three singles brackets and three doubles draws. Competition begins at 9 a.m. each day and culminates in championship matches on Sunday. Admission is free.
“This is a great chance for our fans to come out and see our freshmen play this weekend,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “We’re going to have three 16-player draws and play them all the way out so every player plays four matches. We’ll have singles in the morning Friday and doubles in the afternoon. Saturday and Sunday we’ll have doubles in the morning and singles in the afternoon.”
Freshmen Christopher Eubanks (Atlanta, Ga.), Michael Kay (Atlanta, Ga.), Elijah Melendez (Suwanee, Ga.) and Daniel Yun (Marietta, Ga.) all will compete in singles and doubles in the Tech Invitational. Eubanks went 2-1 in singles at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships two weeks ago, falling in the second round of the top division to the nation’s third-ranked player, while Kay got all the way to the finals of the second division before dropping a close match to teammate Eduardo Segura.
Meanwhile, Nathan Rakitt, a junior from Marietta, Ga., ranked 76th nationally in singles, is in the qualifying draw of singles at the ITA All-American Championships, and will partner with sophomore Cole Fiegel (Alachua, Fla.) in the qualifying draw for doubles, both of which begin next Tuesday. Rakitt lost both of his singles matches at the SIC but reached the doubles finals with Eubanks. He and Fiegel are ranked 57th in the ITA pre-season doubles rankings and will play together for the first time this fall.
Segura and sophomore Carlos Benito, the nation’s 20th-ranked doubles team, have been placed in the main draw of doubles, which begins next Friday at the back end of the nine-day-long event. The duo, both of whom are from Madrid, Spain, were Tech’s top doubles team last year, though they were upset in the opening round of the SIC.
“Everybody will play in singles out there,” said Thorne. “The sky’s the limit there. You win that, and you’re among the top players in the nation. You’ve got to play a lot of matches to get through. Eddie and Carlos were originally alternates but got into the draw (of doubles), so they have a great opportunity to help their national ranking.”
GEORGIA TECH INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 26 9 a.m. – Doubles matches 11 a.m. – Singles matches
Saturday, Sept. 27 9 a.m. – Doubles matches 10 a.m. – Singles matches
Sunday, Sept. 28 9 a.m. – Doubles matches 10 a.m. – Singles matches
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.
