CARY, N.C. – Winning the doubles point and three singles matches, No. 20 Georgia Tech knocked off No. 6 and second-seeded Duke on Friday, 4-3, in the ACC Championship quarterfinals. Kylie Bilchev clinched the victory for the Yellow Jackets to secure a spot in the semifinals on Saturday.
DOUBLES
The Yellow Jackets won a hard-fought doubles point to grab an early 1-0 lead against the Blue Devils. Bilchev and Alejandra Cruz controlled court one against Ellie Coleman and Cameron Morra, claiming a 6-0 decision to give Tech the advantage. The Jackets held the lead on courts two and three as Carol Lee and Rosie Garcia Gross finished first to clinch the doubles point. Facing Georgia Drummy and Iuliia Bryzgalova on three, it was a back-and-forth battle in the early going as the teams stood knotted at 4-all. The Jackets held to take a 5-4 lead and closed it out, 6-4, to clinch the doubles point.
Kate Sharabura and Monika Dedaj led Emma Jackson and Karolina Berankova, 5-4, when the point was clinched. Duke fought off match point at deuce to leave the match tied at 5-5 when play was suspended.
SINGLES
It all came down to the final court as Georgia Tech and Duke traded singles wins to leave the match tied at 3-3. But the Yellow Jackets held strong and clinched the win from No. 2 singles.
Duke quickly evened the match at 1-1, winning on court three, 6-1, 6-1, before Lee returned the lead to Georgia Tech, collecting a dominating win on court one. Lee took the first five games from Morra to open the match and pocketed the first set, 6-1. Morra grabbed a 3-2 lead in the second set, but Lee responded, winning the next game. The Jacket closed out the victory, 6-1, 6-4, returning a 2-1 lead to Georgia Tech.
Duke would take the next two singles matches on courts five and six to gain a 3-2 advantage, but its rally would end there as Georgia Tech won the final two singles matches to clinch the victory.
Cruz came in clutch for the Yellow Jackets for the second day in a row on court four. The freshman trailed early to Coleman in the first set, but fought back to on serve at 4-all. She took the first set, 6-4, but Coleman gained momentum to open the second set, winning the first three games. Cruz answered by taking six of the next seven games for the match, 6-4, 6-4.
With the score tied at 3-apiece, all eyes turned to court two where Bilchev faced Jackson. After Bilchev rallied back from an early deficit in the first set, the opponents went back-and-forth to stand at 5-5. Bilchev claimed the opening set, 7-5, and carried momentum into the second set. On serve at 3-all, Bilchev won the next three games to clinch the match for Georgia Tech, 7-5, 6-3.
Georgia Tech will face No. 5 and three-seeded NC State in the semifinals on Saturday at 10 a.m.
ACC Championship Quarterfinals
Photos by Jaylynn Nash
RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. No. 85 Kylie Bilchev/Alejandra Cruz (GT) def. No. 46 Ellie Coleman/Cameron Morra (DUKE) 6-0
2. Monika Dedaj/Kate Sharabura (GT) vs. No. 86 Emma Jackson/Karolina Berankova (DUKE) 5-5, DNF
3. Carol Lee/Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) def. No. 81 Georgia Drummy/Iuliia Bryzgalova (DUKE) 6-4*
Order of finish: 1,3*
*Clinched the doubles point
SINGLES
1. No. 13 Carol Lee (GT) def. No. 74 Cameron Morra (DUKE) 6-1, 6-4
2. No. 28 Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. No. 40 Emma Jackson (DUKE) 7-5, 6-3^
3. No. 62 Georgia Drummy (DUKE) def. No. 87 Mahak Jain (GT) 6-1, 6-1
4. No. 110 Alejandra Cruz (GT) def. Ellie Coleman (DUKE) 6-4, 6-4
5. Iuliia Bryzgalova (DUKE) def. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) 7-5, 6-4
6. Brianna Shvets (DUKE) def. Kate Sharabura (GT) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Order of finish: 3,1,6,5,4,2^
^Clinched the overall match
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 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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