THE FLATS – Behind solid play in both doubles and singles, Georgia Tech women’s tennis cruised to a 7-0 victory over Mercer on Monday evening at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The Yellow Jackets gained momentum early in doubles play and never looked back.
DOUBLES
Georgia Tech completed the sweep of doubles to grab the early match lead over Mercer. Gia Cohen and Ruth Marsh finished first, not dropping a game against Mercer’s Lekha Varudandi and Kristin Yordanova, 6-0. The point was clinched from court three where Monika Dedaj and Ava Hrastar partnered to face Lauren Rich and Francesca Franchi. The Jackets opened with a 5-0 lead before the Bears got on the scoreboard, but Dedaj served out the match, 6-1, to seal the early match lead for Tech.
The Jackets completed the doubles sweep, picking up a hard-fought win on court one. Tech’s No. 34-ranked doubles pair of Carol Lee and Kate Sharabura stood knotted at 4-all against Mary Courville and Naya Tillitt. But the Jackets held strong and sealed a 6-4 victory to improve to 6-0 in dual match play.
SINGLES
Georgia Tech made quick work of singles play, sweeping all seven courts in just over an hour. Lee grabbed the first singles victory from court one, dropping only one game en route to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Courville.
The next three matches all finished within minutes of each other as Sharabura pocketed a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Franchi on court five before Kylie Bilchev clinched the victory from court three. Facing Mercer’s Rich, Bilchev rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 decision for a 4-0 Yellow Jacket lead. Mahak Jain finished right behind Bilchev on court four. Jain handled Varudandi, 6-1, 6-1 to cushion Tech’s lead.
Competing on court two, Hrastar won her second-straight match, defeating Tillitt, 6-2, 6-2, before Rosie Garcia Gross completed the sweep on court six. Garcia Gross took the first set against Yordanova, 6-3, but the opponents stood tied at 4-4 in the second set. The Jacket won the final two games to pocket the win, 6-3, 6-4.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets return to action and open Atlantic Coast Conference play at Miami on Friday, Feb. 25. First serve in Coral Gables is slated for 5 p.m.
DOUBLES
1. No. 34 Carol Lee/Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Mary Courville/Naya Tillitt (MER) 6-4
2. Gia Cohen/Ruth Marsh (GT) def. Lekha Varudandi/Kristin Yordanova (MER) 6-0
3. Monika Dedaj/Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Lauren Rich/Francesca Franchi (MER) 6-1
Order of finish: 2,3,1
SINGLES
1. No. 67 Carol Lee (GT) def. Mary Courville (MER) 6-1, 6-0
2. No. 123 Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Naya Tillitt (MER) 6-2, 6-2
3. No. 64 Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. Lauren Rich (MER) 6-1, 6-0
4. Mahak Jain (GT) def. Lekha Varudandi (MER) 6-1, 6-1
5. Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Francesca Franchi (MER) 6-1, 6-2
6. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) def. Kristin Yordanova (MER) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 1,5,3,4,2,6
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 Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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