THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Alejandra Cruz and Scarlett Nicholson opened main draw action of the ITA All-American Championships on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets battled, but both fell in three sets and will move to the consolation draw. The prestigious tournament is being played at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.
Nicholson, preseason ranked No. 16, opened the day challenging No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso of Tennessee. The Vol took the first set, 6-2, but Nicholson battled in the second set, pulling out a gritty tiebreak, 7-6 (8-6), to force a final set. Risso jumped out with a commanding lead in the third set and sealed the match, 6-1.
Taking the court in the afternoon, Cruz, ranked No. 54 in preseason, faced No. 20 Zoe Hammond (Kentucky) in first round action that lasted nearly three hours. It was a back-and-forth battle between the opponents in the opening set, coming down to a tiebreaker. At 5-all in the breaker, Cruz won the next two points to take the set, 7-6 (5), but Hammond evened the match, winning the second set, 6-3, to force a deciding third set. Cruz fought off a match point in the final set, but couldn’t hold on, dropping the final set in a narrow, 6-4, decision.
Nicholson and Cruz shift to the backdraw on Thursday. Out of the tournament, the two consolation finalists will receive automatic entry into the NCAA Singles Championship in November.
RESULTS
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso (Tennessee) def. No. 16 Scarlett Nicholson (GT) 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1
No. 20 Zoe Hammond (Kentucky) def. No. 54 Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4
THURSDAY SCHEDULE OF PLAY
Scarlett Nicholson (GT) vs. Ozlem Uslu (Virginia Tech) – 9 a.m.
Alejandra Cruz (GT) vs. Sofia Rojas (Georgia) – 12:30 p.m.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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