THE FLATS – Forced to move inside due to inclement weather, No. 35 Georgia Tech captured a 4-3 victory Sunday afternoon over No. 27 Syracuse behind the doubles point and three singles victories. The Jackets improved to 5-5 overall and 2-1 against league opponents with the win.
DOUBLES ACTION: Georgia Tech quickly took momentum of the match, racing out with the early lead on all three doubles courts. The Yellow Jacket duo of Kenya Jones and Nadia Gizdova opened play giving Tech the early edge in doubles with a 6-3 victory over Libi Mesh and Sofya Golubovskaya. The point was clinched from court two where Nami Otsuka and Gia Cohen topped Dina Hegab and Guzal Yusupova, 6-3.
SINGLES ACTION: The Jackets clinched the match pocketing the first three singles matches to secure a 4-0 victory over the Orange. Competing on court two, Otsuka made quick work of Sofya Golubovskaya, dropping only three games en route to a 6-2, 6-1 triumph. Jones, ranked No. 24, cushioned Tech’s lead from court one. The junior split sets with No. 42 Gabriela Knutson to force a deciding third set where she cruised to a 6-0 victory to secure the win and give the Jackets a 3-0 lead.
Freshman Valeriya Deminova clinched the win for Georgia Tech from court four. The Jacket won a hard-fought, straight-set win over Libi Mesh. Tied at 3-all in the opening set, Deminova took a 4-3 edge and pocketed the first set, 6-3. The freshman raced out in the second set with a 5-2 lead, but Tritou rallied, winning the next three games to knot the set at 5-5. Deminova finished strong, winning the final two games to secure a 7-5 second set win and the match for Georgia Tech.
Syracuse won the final three singles matches to account for the final 4-3 tally. No. 71 Miranda Ramirez topped Victoria Flores, 7-6 (4), 6-3, before Dina Hegab won on court six, 6-4, 7-6 (0). The Orange concluded the match with a win on court five as Guzal Yusupova defeated Cohen, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 7-5.
QUOTABLE: “We played well in both singles and doubles against a very good Syracuse team. Kenya [Jones] had a big win against one of the top players in the nation in singles. Valeriya [Deminova] clinched the match with a well-played singles match. Nami [Otsuka] also had a big win in singles today. I’m proud of the team for competing hard today.” – Head coach Rodney Harmon
UP NEXT: Georgia Tech hits the road next weekend for a pair of ACC matchups, visiting Wake Forest on March 8. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. in Winston-Salem.
RESULTS
Doubles
1-Victoria Flores/Valeriya Deminova (GT) vs. Gabriela Knutson/Miranda Ramirez (SYR) 5-4, DNF
2-Nami Otsuka/Gia Cohen (GT) def. Dina Hegab/Guzal Yusupova (SYR) 6-3
3-Kenya Jones/Nadia Gizdova (GT) def. Libi Mesh/Sofya Golubovskaya (SYR) 6-3
Order of finish: 3,2
Singles
1-No. 24 Kenya Jones (GT) def. No. 42 Gabriela Knutson (SYR) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
2-Nami Otsuka (GT) def. Sofya Golubovskaya (SYR) 6-2, 6-1
3-No. 71 Miranda Ramirez (SYR) def. Victoria Flores (GT) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
4-Valeriya Deminova (GT) def. Libi Mesh (SYR) 6-3, 7-5
5- Guzal Yusupova (SYR) def. Gia Cohen (GT) 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 7-5
6- Dina Hegab (SYR) def. Nadia Gizdova (GT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-0)
Order of finish: 2,1,4,3,6,5
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