April 11, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Freshman Guillermo Gomez earned a win at No. 1 singles but the Georgia Tech men’s tennis team (13-10, 3-7 ACC) ultimately fell, 6-1, to No. 11 North Carolina (17-4, 7-1) Friday afternoon at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on the University of North Carolina campus.
“As I said at the beginning of the season this team is going to fight and continue to fight but we are now looking to finish the job,” head coach Kenny Thorne said. “We got up in four of six singles matches but could not finish. Carolina is a tough team but we had a shot.”
The Tar Heels opened the day by taking two of three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead over Tech. No. 42 Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy defeated Gomez and George Gvelesiani, 8-3, at the No. 2 position. Tech’s duo of David North and Eliot Potvin evened up the doubles match after an 8-3 win over Tristan Heinrich and David Stone on court three but Carolina sealed the point when No. 10 Taylor Fogleman and Chris Kearney finished off Scott Blackmon and Ryan Smith, 8-3, at the top spot in the lineup.
Donato pushed Carolina’s lead to 2-0 after a straight-set, 6-3, 6-3, win over Ryan Smith at the No. 4 singles position. On court two, North battled No. 83 Kearney in the first of five consecutive three-set matches but would fall, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Carolina clinched the match when No. 73 Hardy slipped past Potvin, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, at the No. 4 spot in the lineup.
The Tar Heels would move ahead 6-0 after Fogleman and Will Plyler earned a pair of come-from-behind three-set victories over Blackmon and Austin Roebuck on the fifth and sixth courts, respectively.
Gomez earned Tech’s lone victory of the day when he defeated Benjamin Carlotti, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, in three sets at the No. 1 spot in the lineup.
“Guillermo has a habit of winning and he showed it today,” Thorne said. “He does not let up and stays in there till the end. This is a great example for our team.”
The Jackets will make their final appearance of the regular season Sunday at Duke. The match at Ambler Tennis Stadium is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Live results will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com, Georgia Tech’s official athletic website.
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