March 6, 2015
Clemson, S.C. – Michael Kay rallied from a first-set loss to win in three sets at No. 4 singles and earn the clinching point for Georgia Tech in a 5-2 victory over Clemson Friday evening at the Clemson Indoor Tennis Center.
The match was the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Georgia Tech improved to 8-3 overall, winning its first conference match on the road since March 28, 2013 and snapping a three-match losing streak in the series with the Tigers (7-6).
Kay, a freshman from Alpharetta, lost his first set to Austin Ansari at love, but returned the favor in the second set and went on to capture the third set 6-2 for Tech’s fourth point.
It was the third straight point won by the Jackets after Clemson tied the match at 1-all. Freshman Christopher Eubanks, ranked 57th in the nation in singles, broke the tie with a 6-3, 6-2 win on court 1 over No. 109 Hunter Harrington, and Carlos Benito followed suit with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Hampton Drake on court 3 to make the score 3-1.
But the key to winning the match may have come in doubles, where Tech’s 51st-ranked team of Benito and Eduardo Segura rallied from a 7-5 deficit in their match against Harrington and Luke Johnson and outlasted the Tiger duo, 8-7, after winning the tiebreaker, 14-12. Tech won the doubles point with that victory after splitting matches on the No. 2 and 3 courts.
Eubanks and Kay picked up Tech’s other doubles win on court 2 with an 8-4 decision over Christian Harris and Hampton Drake.
Segura claimed the Yellow Jackets’ fifth point in a three-set thriller that featured two tiebreakers, 3-6, 7-6 (7-0), 1-0 (10-6) over Johnson on court 6.
Tech travels to Coral Gables, Fla., to take on Miami Sunday at 12 noon.
Georgia Tech 5, #52 Clemson 2
Mar 06, 2015 at Clemson, S.C. (Clemson Indoor Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #57 Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. #109 Hunter Harrington (CU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Alejandro Augusto (CU) def. Nathan Rakitt (GT) 6-3, 6-0
3. Carlos Benito (GT) def. Hampton Drake (CU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Michael Kay (GT) def. Austin Ansari (CU) 0-6, 6-0, 6-2
5. Daffra Sanon (CU) def. Cole Fiegel (GT) 6-2, 7-5
6. Eduardo Segura (GT) def. Luke Johnson (CU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-0), 1-0 (10-5)
Doubles competition
1. #51 Carlos Benito/Eduardo Segura (GT) def. Hunter Harrington/Luke Johnson (CU) 8-7 (14-12)
2. Christopher Eubanks/Michael Kay (GT) def. Christian Harris/Hampton Drake (CU) 8-4
3. Austin Ansari/Alejandro Augusto (CU) def. Cole Fiegel/Casey Kay (GT) 8-5
Match Notes: Georgia Tech 8-3, 1-0 ACC; Clemson 7-6, 0-1 ACC
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,1,3,4,5,6)
A-286
Match played indoors
