CARY, N.C. – After dropping the doubles point, the No. 4 Georgia Tech women’s tennis team rebounded to pull out a 4-2 victory over No. 27 Syracuse in the ACC Championship quarterfinals Friday afternoon. The second-seeded Jackets clinched a spot in the semifinals for the second-straight year.
DOUBLES ACTION: It was a tough doubles battle as all three matches were decided by 7-5 decisions and despite the Jackets gaining the early advantage by picking up the first win, Syracuse held for the final two matches to clinch the early lead. Wrapping up first, Tech’s No. 1 duo of Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones held strong for a 7-5 triumph over No. 10 Gabriela Knutson/Miranda Ramirez. The Jackets came out with an early 2-1 lead, but the Orange won the next three points to take a 4-2 advantage. Hourigan/Jones battled back to 4-4 and stood tied at 5-all before gaining the 6-5 edge. The Jacket pair broke the Orange to seal the 7-5 victory.
The Jackets looked to be on track to win the doubles point as Johnnise Renaud and Nami Otsuka led Maria Tritou/Nicole Mitchell at No. 3, 5-2. But Syracuse rattled off the next five points to force a comeback and win the match 7-5 to even doubles play. The Orange clinched the point from the two seed when Anna Shkudon/Sofya Golubovskaya held for a 7-5 decision over Ida Jarlskog and Victoria Flores.
SINGLES ACTION: With the Jackets trailing 1-0 in the match, Tech would need to win four singles matches to clinch a spot in the semifinals. Otsuka put the Jackets on the scoreboard, cruising at No. 5 to a 6-1, 6-1 rout over Tritou before Renaud handed Tech its first lead of the match, winning 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 over Golubovskaya.
Jarlskog cushioned Tech’s lead, pocketing a 6-4, 6-3 decision at the four seed over Shkudun, handing the Jackets a 3-1 advantage. With Tech on the verge of victory, Syracuse did not go easily, cutting its deficit to 3-2 with a straight-set win from the No. 1 position. The final two matches remaining were both battling in a third set as the foes split the first pair of sets.
Flores held double match point on court six over Libi Mesh, but was unable to finish her match before Jones clinched the victory for Tech from the two seed. After winning the first set in a tiebreak, Ramirez took the second set, 6-4. The foes stood tied at 2-2 in the final set before Jones pulled out with a 4-3 lead. The sophomore clinched the match with a 7-5 third set win, sealing a spot for the Jackets in the semifinals.
UP NEXT: Georgia Tech will face No. 2 North Carolina at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the semifinals.
No. 4 GEORGIA TECH vs SYRACUSE RESULTS
Match Score: Georgia Tech 4, Syracuse 2
DOUBLES
1. No. 1 Paige Hourigan/Kenya Jones (GT) def. No. 10 Gabriela Knutson/Miranda Ramirez (SYR) 7-5
2. Anna Shkudun/Sofya Golubovskaya (SYR) def. No. 63 Ida Jarlskog/Victoria Flores (GT) 7-5
3. Maria Tritou/Nicole Mitchell (SYR) def. Johnnise Renaud/Nami Otsuka (GT) 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
SINGLES
1. No. 4 Gabriela Knutson (SYR) def. No. 13 Paige Hourigan (GT) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
2. No. 82 Kenya Jones (GT) def. Miranda Ramirez (SYR) 7-6, 4-6, 7-5
3. Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Sofya Golubovskaya (SYR) 6-1, 6-4
4. Ida Jarlskog (GT) def. Anna Shkudun (SYR) 6-4, 6-3
5. Nami Otsuka (GT) def. Maria Tritou (SYR) 6-1, 6-1
6. Victoria Flores (GT) vs. Libi Mesh (SYR) 6-4, 3-6, 5-5, DNF
Order of finish: 5, 3, 4, 1, 2
Records: Georgia Tech (21-4); Syracuse (17-7)
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