Feb. 22, 2009
Playing outdoors for the second-straight match of the season, the Georgia Tech men’s tennis team fell 4-3 to No. 30 Auburn in a seesaw match at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on the Auburn University campus Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Jackets drop to 4-3 on the season.
After coming from behind twice to tie the score at two apiece, freshman Kevin King was unable to give Tech the lead as he fell 7-6, 6-3 to Auburn’s Tim Puetz at the No. 2 spot, putting the Jackets down 3-2. The loss for King was just his second of the dual match season.
Needing a victory from either Guillermo Gomez at the No. 1 or Miguel Muguruza at the No. 4 spot to stay alive, the Jackets were denied the victory as the Tigers Milan Krnjetin came back from down a set to defeat Muguruza 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the clinching match.
The main matchup of the day, ironically, had no effect on the outcome of the match, but saw some incredible play between seventh-ranked Gomez and No. 41 Alexey Tsyrenov at the one spot. Tsyrenov took the first set in a 7-6 thriller before Gomez fought back with a 6-1 win in the second. The match was suspended with Gomez leading 1-0 in the third set as Auburn had already clinched the win.
Starting off singles play down a point, sophomore Ryan Smith evened the match at one apiece with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Alex Petropoulos at the No. 6. Auburn’s Alex Stamchev gave the Tigers the lead back with a 6-1, 6-1 win over freshman Dusan Miljevic soon after. Sophomore Eliot Potvin would then even the slate once again with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Lukas Marsoun before the Tigers pulled away.
In doubles play, Muguruza and sophomore Austin Roebuck evened the round at 1-1 with an 8-5 victory over Auburn’s Milan Krnjetin and Michel Monteiro, but the Jackets lost the point in a tough 9-7 skid by Gomez and Smith at the No.1 spot to the 15th-ranked duo of Alexey Tsyrenov Tim Puetz.
The Tech men return to action Friday, Feb. 27, as they host No. 2 Georgia in a rival matchup at the Bill Moore. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Match Results#30 Auburn 4, #56 Georgia Tech 2
Singles 1. #7 Guillermo Gomez (GT) vs. #41 Alexey Tsyrenov (AU) 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 1-0 (suspended) 2. Tim Puetz (AU) def. Kevin King (GT) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 3. Eliot Potvin (GT) def. Lukas Marsoun (AU) 6-2, 6-2 4. Milan Krnjetin (AU) def. Miguel Muguruza (GT) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 5. Alex Stamchev (AU) def. Dusan Miljevic (GT) 6-1, 6-1 6. Ryan Smith (GT) def. Alex Petropoulos (AU) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles 1. #15 Alexey Tsyrenov/Tim Puetz (AU) def. Guillermo Gomez/Ryan Smith (GT) 9-7 2. Lukas Marsoun/Alex Stamchev (AU) def. Doug Kenny/Kevin King (GT) 8-3 3. Miguel Muguruza/Austin Roebuck (GT) def. Milan Krnjetin/Michel Monteiro (AU) 8-5
Match Notes: Georgia Tech 4-2; National ranking #56 Auburn 3-1; National ranking #30 Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,5,3,2,4) Played outdoors
