Open mobile menu

No. 4 Yellow Jackets Sting No. 3 Blue Devils, 4-2

THE FLATS – Behind the doubles point and a trio of singles wins, the No. 4 Georgia Tech women’s tennis team upset No. 3 Duke, 4-2, on Friday afternoon at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The win pushed Tech to 15-4 overall and 7-2 in league play, while snapping Duke’s 10-match win streak and handing the Blue Devils (16-2, 8-1 ACC) their first ACC loss of the season and just second setback overall.

DOUBLES ACTION: The Jackets grabbed a 1-0 lead clinching an intense doubles point that came down to a pair of matches in tiebreaks. Duke opened taking the edge in doubles play, cruising to a 6-1 victory on court three. The Jackets evened the competition, winning a hard-fought match at No. 2 where Ida Jarlskog and Victoria Flores faced Duke’s No. 5 Kelly Chen/Samantha Harris. The tandems played through a competitive match as the teams stood at a standstill at 6-all heading into a tiebreak. The intensity carried through the tiebreak as the Jackets and Blue Devils stood at 5-5 before Tech went ahead 6-5. The Jackets won the match on the next point for a 7-6 (7-5) victory.

With the win at No. 2, the doubles point would come down to the top seed where No. 2 Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones led 5-2 over No. 7 Kaitlyn McCarthy/Ellyse Hamlin. The Blue Devils strung together four straight points to take a 6-5 edge, but Tech knotted the match at 6-all to force a deciding tiebreak. The Jackets came out with a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak and held for a 7-6 (7-4) win to clinch the point.

SINGLES ACTION: The teams traded singles wins to open singles play as the score stood tied at 2-all. The Blue Devils picked up wins from the two and three seeds, while Tech’s Flores downed Hannah Zhao at the six seed, 6-3, 6-2, for a 2-2 contest.

Due to a brief rainstorm, play was suspended outside at 2-all and moved indoors. Once inside, Otsuka pushed Tech back in front, 3-2, grabbing a 7-5, 6-4 decision over No. 85 Ellyse Hamlin at the five seed. As Jarlskog forced a deciding third set from No. 4 against No. 79 Kaitlyn McCarthy, teammate Hourigan clinched the match from No. 1.

The senior took the first set over No. 4 Harris, 6-3, but dropped the second set, 6-2. Battling in the third set, Hourigan broke to go up 3-2. Both Hourigan and Harris held serve for a 5-3 tally before Hourigan broke Harris on a double-fault to clinch the match with a 6-3 third set win.

QUOTABLE: “It was a function of fighting. Duke has a great team. I was proud of our team today – proud of their effort, how hard they fought and how they stayed together. The doubles point was key. I’m hoping we can play with a little more consistency because we’ve been up and down this year. We’ve got to rest and get ready for a really big match on Sunday against Wake Forest.” – head coach Rodney Harmon

UP NEXT: Tech continues this homestand on Sunday, welcoming No. 27 Wake Forest. First serve is slated for noon.

No. 4 GEORGIA TECH vs. No. 3 DUKE RESULTS
Match Score: Georgia Tech 4, Duke 2

DOUBLES
1. No. 2 Paige Hourigan/Kenya Jones (GT) def. No. 7 Kaitlyn McCarthy/Ellyse Hamlin (DUKE) 7-6 (7-4)
2. Ida Jarlskog/Victoria Flores (GT) def. No. 5 Kelly Chen/Samantha Harris (DUKE) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Meible Chi/Hannah Zhao (DUKE) def. Johnnise Renaud/Nami Otsuka (GT) 6-1
Order of finish: 3,2,1

SINGLES
1. No. 22 Paige Hourigan (GT) def. No. 4 Samantha Harris (DUKE) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
2. No. 63 Meible Chi (DUKE) def. Johnnise Renaud (GT) 6-3, 6-2
3. No. 26 Kelly Chan (DUKE) def. No. 64 Kenya Jones (GT) 6-3, 6-4
4. Ida Jarlskog (GT) vs. No. 79 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DUKE) 5-7, 7-5, DNF
5. Nami Otsuka (GT) def. No. 85 Ellyse Hamlin (DUKE) 7-5, 6-4
6. Victoria Flores (GT) vs. Hannah Zhao (DUKE) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 2,6,3,5,1

Records: Georgia Tech (15-4, 7-2 ACC); Duke (16-2, 8-1 ACC)

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

RELATED HEADLINES

Women's Tennis Nicholson Named ACC Freshman of the Week

Women’s tennis moves to No. 20 in latest ITA rankings

Nicholson Named ACC Freshman of the Week
Women's Tennis Georgia Tech Breaks Ground on Fanning Center

New student-athlete performance center set to open in 2026

Georgia Tech Breaks Ground on Fanning Center
Women's Tennis Jackets Upset No. 19 Miami, 4-3

Kylie Bilchev clinches women's tennis victory on the road

Jackets Upset No. 19 Miami, 4-3
Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Legends Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets