Sept. 15, 2014
Athens, Ga. – Eduardo Segura prevailed over his freshman teammate Michael Kay after both made the Division II singles final Monday, while Nathan Rakitt and Christopher Eubanks lost the Division I doubles final after a tight battle at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships.
Segura, a senior from Madrid, Spain, needed three sets to win his first two matches in the SIC, but vanquished his foes in the quarterfinals and semifinals in straight sets on his collision course with Kay, who had an opening-round bye and won his first three matches in straight sets.
Monday, Kay outlasted Hampton Drake of Clemson in one semifinal match, 7-6, 7-6, winning each tiebreaker by a 9-7 score to reach the final against his senior teammate. Segura had to get by Georgia’s Peter Bertran and did so, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Segura went on to down Kay, 7-5, 7-6 (4), earning his first collegiate title in singles or doubles.
“Eddie and Michael both continued to play solid matches this morning,” said Tech coach Kenny Thorne. “They were making fewer shot-selection and strategic errors. They had some great points playing against each other and only a few unforced errors were the difference. We have some work to do, but it was a good first tournament for those guys.”
Meanwhile, the third-seeded Rakitt and Eubanks, winners over a Florida State team Sunday in one semifinal match, had to wait on the outcome of the other semifinal match Monday between fifth-seeded Andrew Dromsky and Igor Smelyanski of Tennessee, who defeated the Bulldog’s Eric Diaz and Austin Smith in straight sets.
Dromsky and Smelyanski rode the momentum of their semifinal win by winning the first set, 6-3, before Rakitt and Eubanks came back to even the match with a 6-4 win in the second set. The third set was a 10-point tiebreaker, and the Tech duo pushed Tennessee well past that point before succumbing, 15-13.
“Nathan and Chris didn’t serve as well today as they have been, so each game was tougher,” said Thorne. “They got down a break early in the match and couldn’t recover in the first set. They held serve long enough in the second set to finally gain some momentum. It was a battle in the tiebreaker, and basically I felt our low first-serve percentage was the difference. They played very well together, and it was a good start for them.”
Tech is off until next weekend when the freshmen compete in the Georgia Tech Invitational at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex (Sept. 26-28) and the veteran players travel to Tulsa, Okla., for qualifying rounds in the ITA All-American Championships.
SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPSDan Magill Tennis Complex, Athens, Ga.
MONDAY, SEPT. 15 RESULTS
Division II Singles – Semifinals Michael Kay (Georgia Tech) def. Hampton Drake (Clemson), 7-6 (7), 7-6 (7) Eduardo Segura (Georgia Tech) def. Peter Bertran (Georgia), 7-6 (4), 6-4
Division II Singles – Finals Eduardo Segura (Georgia Tech) def. Michael Kay (Georgia Tech), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
Division I Doubles – Finals [5] Andrew Dromsky/Igor Smelyanski (Tennessee) def. [3] Christopher Eubanks/Nathan Rakitt (Georgia Tech), 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (15-13)
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S TENNIS
Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team is in its 17th year under head coach Kenny Thorne. The Yellow Jackets have played in the NCAA Championship 14 times. Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_MTEN). For more information on Tech men’s tennis, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
