Feb. 14, 2015
THE FLATS – In the midst of the toughest stretch of the spring season to date, Georgia Tech goes on the road for the first and only time before conference play begins to play 38th-ranked Auburn Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Eastern time at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Ala.
MATCH INFORMATION – The Yellow Jackets are part of an Atlantic Coast Conference weekend for the Tigers, who hosted Clemson Friday afternoon before entertaining the Jackets. Admission is free.
TEAM UPDATE – Georgia Tech (5-1), ranked No. 75 this week in the ITA weekly poll, lost its first match of the spring last Saturday in a 4-3 decision to fourth-ranked Georgia. The Yellow Jackets captured the doubles point, but were able to win only two singles matches – Christopher Eubanks downed Austin Smith, the nation’s 11th-ranked player, on court 2, and Cole Fiegel defeated Paul Oosterbaan on court 6. Auburn is 7-1 pending Friday’s result against Clemson, having lost only to 8th-ranked Ohio State in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Jan. 24.
SINGLES UPDATE – Tech’s top two players in the lineup are ranked in the ITA top 50 in singles – junior Nathan Rakitt (Marietta, Ga.) is No. 47 with a 3-1 record at the No. 1 slot, and freshman Christopher Eubanks (Atlanta, Ga.) is No. 50, having gone 7-2 this spring with a pair of victories over top-20 opponents. Senior Eduardo Segura (Madrid, Spain) holds down the third spot in the lineup with a 5-3 record this spring, and freshman Michael Kay (Alpharetta, Ga.) is 6-3 playing No. 4. Sophomore Carlos Benito (Madrid, Spain) opened the spring with seven straight wins at No. 5 before losing to Georgia, and sophomore Cole Fiegel (Alachua,Fla.) has given the Jackets a great anchor at the bottom of the order with an 8-1 mark this spring.
DOUBLES UPDATE – Benito and Segura are 4-1 in their four dual-match decisions this spring and have risen to 44th nationally in the ITA rankings. That includes a victory over 16th-ranked Oosterbaan and Ben Wagland of Georgia last weekend. Eubanks and Kay are 3-2, and Fiegel and Rakitt are 2-0, moving between the No. 2 and 3 spots.
HEAD COACH Kenny Thorne SAYS – “It was a good week of practice, and it will be a great test on the road for our guys. We have had some really good battles, and I expect this will be another good one.”
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.
