March 7, 2010
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech earned straight-set victories at the top three singles positions, and the 29th-ranked Yellow Jackets won their second consecutive match, cruising past 48th-ranked UNC-Wilmington, 6-1, Sunday afternoon at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
Tech improved to 9-3 for the spring dual season, while the Seahawks lost their second straight and fell to 7-3.
All six singles matches were decided in straight sets. All-American Guillermo Gomez and Kevin King captured victories at the top two singles positions, extending the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 3-0. Gomez, the nation’s fifth-ranked player, downed Michael Pereira, 6-2, 6-3, and King swept Kinshuk Sharma, 6-2, 6-1.
Gomez improved his singles record this year to 19-4, while King won his fourth consecutive match since returning from injury without losing a set.
“Today was the first day we had our full lineup in as far as singles and doubles, and the positions we want everybody in,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “UNC-Wilmington is a solid team, a good team, and we knew that coming in. We needed to play consistent tennis, and we played every point strong. It showed in the scores, and this can define this team.”
Freshman Juan Spir took the deciding match with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Anton Nikolov. Magin Ortiga, with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Alex Wetherell at No. 5, and Eliot Potvin, with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Illia Ziamtsou at No. 3, finished off the Seahawks. Dean O’Brien absorbed the Jackets’ only loss, 6-3, 6-1, to Kosta Blank at No. 4.
“From the beginning, it was a pretty intense match,” said Ortiga, who improved his dual record to 7-3 after a 6-6 fall season. “I played very consistent. I was able to take advantage and play every point hard. I felt like we all did pretty well today, and it was a good performance.
“It’s a very different experience playing in college as opposed to individual tournaments. It’s been a very good experience, and I am adapting much better and focusing on contributing to the team. As I keep playing matches, I keep getting more used to it.”
Tech quickly captured the doubles point with easy victories by Gomez and Ryan Smith over the Seahawks’ team of Pereira and Wetherell, 8-0, at No. 3, and an 8-3 win by Potvin and O’Brien, 8-3, at No. 2. King and Spir made it a clean sweep for the Yellow Jackets in an 8-6 win over Sharma and Max Ando Hirsh.
Tech returns to action and resumes conference play next Sunday, March 14, with a 12 noon match against Miami.
Tennis Match Results
UNC-Wilmington vs Georgia Tech
Mar 07, 2010 at Atlanta, Ga.
#29 Georgia Tech 6, #48 UNC-Wilmington 1
Singles competition
1. #5 Guillermo Gomez (GT) def. Michael Pereira (UNCW) 6-2, 6-3
2. Kevin King (GT) def. Kinshuk Sharma (UNCW) 6-2, 6-1
3. Eliot Potvin (GT) def. Illia Ziamtsou (UNCW) 6-4, 6-3
4. Kosta Blank (UNCW) def. Dean O’Brien (GT) 6-3, 6-1
5. Magin Ortiga (GT) def. Alex Wetherell (UNCW) 6-0, 6-1
6. Juan Spir (GT) def. Anton Nikolov (UNCW) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Kevin King/Juan Spir (GT) def. Kinshuk Sharma/Max Ando Hirsh (UNCW) 8-6
2. Eliot Potvin/Dean O’Brien (GT) def. Illia Ziamtsou/Kosta Blank (UNCW) 8-3
3. Guillermo Gomez/Ryan Smith (GT) def. Michael Pereira/Alex Wetherell (UNCW) 8-0
Match Notes:
UNC-Wilmington 7-3; National ranking #48
Georgia Tech 9-3; National ranking #29
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,2,6,5,4,3)
T-2:33
