Feb. 19, 2012
ATLANTA – Kevin King started a Georgia Tech rally with a straight-set win at No. 1 singles, and the 29th-ranked Yellow Jackets overcame losing the doubles point to defeat Wisconsin, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
Tech evened its record at 5-5 in concluding the non-conference portion of its schedule, which included losses to four top-20 teams, and gained some momentum ahead of its start to Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday at 32nd-ranked Florida State. The Badgers fell to 2-3, having lost both matches on its weekend Southern swing.
“It was good to get the win today,” said King. “We definitely have a lot to work on in doubles. We’ve got to get the doubles point. It was important for us to go out and get a point on the board and tie the match. It could have been any of the four of us there at the top of the lineup, but everyone stepped up and got the job done.”
After suffering his first loss in doubles this spring with partner Juan Spir, King had no problem dispatching Fred Ask, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 1 singles. The All-America senior from Peachtree City, Ga., ranked 7th in the nation, improved his record this spring to 8-2. Spir also rebounded by taking out Alex Kostanov in straight sets at No. 2, 7-6 (12-10), 6-4, shaking off a couple of disputed line calls that went against Spir during the first-set tiebreaker.
Tech went up 3-1 when Juan Melian rallied from a first-set loss to oust Petr Satral, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, and senior Dusan Miljevic earned the deciding point for the Jackets at No. 4, defeating Bill Bertha, 6-3, 6-4.
Wisconsin, which had won the doubles point in a 6-1 loss at Clemson Saturday, captured the doubles round again Sunday against the Yellow Jackets, scoring a win over Tech’s 2nd-ranked tandem of King and Spir in the process. Ask and Bertha won service breaks in games 3 and 11 to dispatch King and Spir, 8-4, at No. 1. Rod Carey and Alex Robles clinched the point for the Badgers with an 8-3 win over Miljevic and Segura at No. 3. Wisconsin made it a clean sweep with an 8-6 win by Kostanov and Satral over Melian and Hundal at No. 2.
Rod Carey earned Wisconsin’s only singles point with a 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-3) win at No. 5. Tech freshman Sebastian Lopez overcame a first-set loss to defeat Quinton Vega, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-0 (10-5), at No. 6.
“A lot positive things have happened for us early to make me think we can do well in conference,” said Miljevic. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Tennis Match Results
#29 Georgia Tech 5, Wisconsin 2
Feb 19, 2012 at Atlanta, Ga.
Singles competition
1. #9 Kevin King (GT) def. Fredrik Ask (WIS) 6-2, 6-1
2. Juan Spir (GT) def. Alexander Kostanov (WIS) 7-6 (12-10), 6-4
3. Juan Melian (GT) def. Petr Satral (WIS) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
4. Dusan Miljevic (GT) def. Billy Bertha (WIS) 6-3, 6-4
5. Rod Carey (WIS) def. Eduardo Segura (GT) 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-3)
6. Sebastian Lopez (GT) def. Quinton Vega (WIS) 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-0 (10-5)
Doubles competition
1. Fredrik Ask/Billy Bertha (WIS) def. #2 Kevin King/Juan Spir (GT) 8-4
2. Alexander Kostanov/Petr Satral (WIS) def. Juan Melian/Vikram Hundal (GT) 8-6
3. Rod Carey/Alex Robles (WIS) def. Dusan Miljevic/Eduardo Segura (GT) 8-3
Match Notes:
Wisconsin 2-3; Georgia Tech 5-5 (National ranking #29)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,5,6)
Match played indoors
T-5:40 A-100
