THE FLATS – Georgia Tech pushed Texas to five three-set battles in singles play, but the Longhorns edged the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, Saturday afternoon at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. Tech saw wins from Rosie Garcia Gross and Nadia Gizdova as it fell to 8-2 on the young season.
DOUBLES ACTION: Texas took an early lead claiming a tight doubles point with victories on courts two and three. Adri Nagy and Tijana Spasojevic gave the Longhorns the edge in doubles, winning a 6-3 decision on court three. Fernanda Labrana and Marta Perez Mur clinched the point for Texas on court two, winning a hard-fought match against Gia Cohen and Nami Otsuka. The Jackets led 5-4 and had match point, but the Longhorns knotted the match at 5-5 and held serve to take a 6-5 lead. Texas clinched the doubles point with a 7-5 win on court two.
SINGLES ACTION: Nagy gave Texas a 2-0 lead in singles play, winning in three sets over Cohen on court three. After Nagy took the first set, 6-4, Cohen raced out with a 3-1 lead in the second set, before Nagy battled back to take a 4-3 lead. Cohen pulled back to 4-all and pocketed the second set, 7-5, to force a deciding third. Nagy took the third set, 6-0, to extend Texas’ lead. Minutes later Texas won on court four as No. 98 Fernanda Labrana edged Otsuka in three sets. After Labrana took the first set, Otsuka dominated the second, leading 4-1 and winning the set, 6-2. Labrana came out with a 4-1 lead in the deciding third set and won, 6-2, to give Texas a 3-0 match led.
Texas clinched the match after a battle on court two between No. 4 Anna Turati and Victoria Flores. Turati claimed the opening set, 6-3, and led 4-1 in the second, before Flores stormed back, fighting off two match points, to tie the set at 6-6. The Jacket went ahead 3-0 in the tiebreak, but Turati won four of the next five points for a 4-4 tally. The opponents tossed the tiebreak lead back-and-forth before Turati held match point at 7-6. Flores fought off the point for a 7-7 tie, but Turati won the next two to clinch the match 9-7 in the tiebreak.
Bianca Turati handed Texas a 5-0 lead, winning on court one in a three-set battle over No. 53 Kenya Jones. Trailing 4-1, Jones pulled back within 4-3 in the opening set, but fell 6-3, and trailed 3-2 early in the second set. Jones battled back to take a 5-4 lead and win the second set, 6-4. Turati clinched the match with a 6-3 deciding third set.
The Yellow Jackets got on the scoreboard winning the final two matches on courts five and six. Rosie Garcia Gross dropped the first set, 7-5, to Marta Perez Mur, but pocketed the next two, 6-3, 6-3, to put Tech on the board. Minutes after the freshman won on five, senior Nadia Gizdova collected a three-set win on court six over Spasojevic, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, for the final 5-2 score.
“Today was a very tough battle and a close match. Texas has a great team, but I’m proud of the way we fought on every court. I’m happy that Rosie [Garcia Gross] and Nadia [Gizdova] were able to finish out their matches. Next up, we’ll prepare for a tough weekend at ITA National Team Indoors.” – Head coach Rodney Harmon
UP NEXT: Georgia Tech heads to Chicago, Ill., for the ITA National Team Indoors, Feb. 7-10.
RESULTS
Doubles
1-No. 51 Kenya Jones/Victoria Flores (GT) vs. Anna Turati/Bianca Turati (Texas) 4-5, DNF
2-Fernanda Labrana/Marta Perez Mur (Texas) def. Nami Otsuka/Gia Cohen (GT) 7-5
3-Adri Nagy/Tijana Spasojevic (Texas) def. Monika Dedaj/Sophia Sassoli (GT) 6-3
Order of finish: 3,2
Singles
1-Bianca Turati (Texas)def. No. 53 Kenya Jones (GT) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2-No. 4 Anna Turati (Texas) def. Victoria Flores (GT) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
3-Adri Nagy (Texas) def. No. 73 Gia Cohen (GT) 6-1, 5-7, 6-0
4-No. 98 Fernanda Labrana (Texas) def. Nami Otsuka (GT) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
5-Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) def. Marta Perez Mur (Texas) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
6-Nadia Gizdova (GT) def. Tijana Spasojevic (Texas) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 3,4,2,1,5,6
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 A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and Athletics Initiative 2020, Georgia Tech athletics’ ongoing $125 million initiative to allow Tech to recruit the nation’s most elite student-athletes, build a better student-athlete once they arrive on The Flats and, ultimately, win! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GT_WTEN), Instagram (GT_WTEN), Facebook (Georgia Tech Women’s Tennis) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com
