College Station, Texas – Down by one with two matches left to play, Chris Yun and Cole Gromley each won three-set battles to help Georgia Tech come from behind to defeat Oregon, 4-3, in the first round of the ITA Kickoff tournament, Saturday in College Station, Texas. The Jackets will now face No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
“Great comeback win for the Jackets today,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “These guys have something special. We have a lot to learn but we also have a lot of fight and belief.”
Down 3-2, Tech fought back to hold off the Ducks’ attack, beginning with Gromley’s intense three-set winner over Emmanuel Coste. The sophomore took the first set, 6-4, but Conte evened things up with a 6-3 second set win. The two battled to 6-6 in the third, but Gromley took the tiebreaker, 8-6, for the win.
With the teams tied 3-3, Yun came from behind after dropping the first set in a tough 6-7(3) bout. The senior went on to sweep the next two sets, 6-4, 6-4, to clinch the win for Georgia Tech.
Tech got out to an early lead with a pair of wins in doubles. Keshav Chopra and Andres Martin outplayed Vandecasteele/Roberts, 6-1, before Carlos Divar and Yun clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win over Oshima/Coste.
“The catalyst in doubles were K and Dre, and Marcus [McDaniel] was the catalyst in singles for getting wins fairly quick,” Thorne added. “The closers were Divar / CYun in doubles and CYun in singles. I’m proud of Chris Yun as a senior for clinching the match in a tough three-set match. Cole had an incredible comeback which shows how mentally tough he is after being out all fall. Everybody contributed today and we need everyone to contribute tomorrow against Texas A&M.”
Marcus McDaniel picked up the first win in singles for the Jackets, taking down Riki Oshimi in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. But the Jackets fell in the next two, with Martin coming up short against No. 14 Joshua Carlton, and Pablo Schelcher losing a tight match to Ty Gentry, 6-7(3), 6-7(5).
“Pablo had a tough loss but him staying on the court and fighting back after being down a set and 5-2 was key to keeping momentum from swinging too heavily in their direction,” Thorne said.
Georgia Tech will now face No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Winners of each bracket will advance to the indoor national championship at the University of Wisconsin, Feb. 14-17.
Georgia Tech 4, Oregon 3
Singles competition
- #14 Joshua Charlton (ORE) def. Andres Martin (GT) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
- Cole Gromley (GT) def. Emmanuel Coste (ORE) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6)
- Ty Gentry (ORE) def. Pablo Schelcher (GT) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5)
- Marcus McDaniel (GT) def. Riki Oshima (ORE) 6-4, 6-2
- Chris Yun (GT) def. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4
- Jesper Klov-Nilsson (ORE) def. Keshav Chopra (GT) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
- #8 Joshua Charlton/Ty Gentry (ORE) def. Pablo Schelcher/Marcus McDaniel (GT) 6-1
- Keshav Chopra/Andres Martin (GT) def. Luke Vandecasteele/Charles Roberts (ORE) 6-1
- Carlos Divar/Chris Yun (GT) def. Riki Oshima/Emmanuel Coste (ORE) 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,4,1,3,2,5)
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
For the latest information on Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis, follow us on Twitter (@GT_MTEN), Instagram (GT_MTEN), Facebook (Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com
