ROME, Ga. – No. 16 Georgia Tech rolled to a 4-0 victory over Virginia Tech Thursday afternoon in the second round of the ACC Tennis Championships in Rome, Ga. The Yellow Jackets grabbed the doubles point and cruised to three straight set singles wins from a trio of freshmen to advance to the quarterfinals.
DOUBLES – Georgia Tech grabbed the early 1-0 match lead, winning courts one and two in doubles. The No. 2 ranked doubles team of Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores gave the Jackets the advantage, winning 6-2 on court one. The Jackets opened with a 3-0 lead and extended their advantage to 5-2 against Nika Kozar and Nina Sorkin. The Hokies fought off match point to setup a 5-3 tally, but Flores and Jones pocketed the match, winning the next game for a 6-3 victory.
Competing on court two, No. 21 Ava Hrastar and Gia Cohen fell behind an early break to No. 61 Rita Pinto and Shene Disbergen, 2-1. VT pushed its lead to 3-2 before Hrastar and Cohen rattled off the next four games to erase their deficit and clinch the doubles point, 6-3.
SINGLES – The Yellow Jackets collected singles wins from freshmen Hrastar, Carol Lee and Mahak Jain to secure a spot in the quarterfinals on Friday. Lee dropped only three games en route to a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Rita Pinto on court four to give the Jackets a 2-0 lead before Hrastar cushioned the advantage from court three. Hrastar, facing Sorkin, cruised in the opening set, 6-2, and stood knotted at 3-all in the second set. The Jacket would win three of the next four games to put GT up, 3-0.
Jain clinched the match for the Jackets on court five, edging Katie Andreini, 6-2, 6-3. Jain maintained control of the match from the start, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in the first set. She would capture the opener, 6-2, and cruise in the second, grabbing an early 3-1 advantage. Jain clinched the match for Georgia Tech, winning the second set, 6-3.
Play was suspended after the Jackets clinched the victory, but the Jackets held the edge on the remaining three courts. On court one, Flores led Itzaki 6-3, 4-3, and Cohen held the lead on two against Kozar, 5-7, 6-1, 2-0. On court six, Monika Dedaj staged a remarkable comeback against Elizabet Danailova. Dedaj trailed 5-0 in the first set, but battled back to force a tiebreak, and claimed the opening set, 7-6 (4) before play was suspended.
UP NEXT – The Yellow Jackets will face No. 4 NC State on Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the quarterfinals.
RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. No. 2 Kenya Jones/Victoria Flores (GT) def. Nika Kozar/Nina Sorkin (VT) 6-2
2. No. 21 Ava Hrastar/Gia Cohen (GT) def. No. 61 Rita Pinto/Shene Disbergen (VT) 6-3
3. Mahak Jain/Carol Lee (GT) vs. Erika Cheng/Katie Andreini (VT) 3-4, DNF
Order of finish: 1,2
SINGLES
1. No. 18 Victoria Flores (GT) vs. Tamara Barad Itzhaki (VT) 6-3, 4-3, DNF
2. Gia Cohen (GT) vs. No. 121 Nika Kozar (VT) 5-7, 6-1, 2-0, DNF
3. No. 119 Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Nina Sorkin (VT) 6-2, 6-4
4. Carol Lee (GT) def. Rita Pinto (VT) 6-1, 6-2
5. Mahak Jain (GT) def. Katie Andreini (VT) 6-2, 6-3
6. Monika Dedaj (GT) vs. Elizabet Danailova (VT) 7-6 (7-4), DNF
Order of finish: 4,3,5
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 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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