Nov. 11, 2012
Flushing Meadow, N.Y. – Georgia Tech’s Juan Spir and Vikram Hundal completed their run through the consolation doubles draw of the USTA/ITA National Collegiate Indoor Championship Sunday by defeating Virginia’s Alex Domijan and Harrison Richmond in a tiebreaker, 9-8.
The Tech pair, which advanced to this national championship by winning the Southeast Regional two weeks ago, defeated the Cavalier team 7-4 in the tiebreaker, finishing the tournament with three consecutive wins after dropping their first-round match in the main draw.
“We beat a very good Virginia team today,” said Spir, a senior from Medellin, Colombia. “We stayed poised and kept going for our shots at all times. Winning the back draw of a national championship is extremely gratifying. Vikram played great, and I think we’re getting better with very match we play.”
Spir and Hundal are now 8-1 as a unit for the Yellow Jackets this fall. Spir has 85 doubles victories in his career, a Tech record.
“Today’s match was a battle with a lot of momentum shifts,” said Hundal, a sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga. “When it seemed like one team was pulling away, the other stepped up. We fought hard and were able to come out on top. Even though we didn’t win the championship, it’s a good feeling to leave the tournament on a run and finish the fall on a high note.”
Ben and Riki McLachlan of California downed Spir and Hundal in the first round of the main draw, 8-6, on Thursday. But the Yellow Jackets rebounded to topple the Texas A&M team of Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant, 9-8 (2) Friday, and rallied from a 7-4 deficit to eliminated Dan Regan and Georgi Rumenov, 9-7, Saturday, setting them up for the back draw final.
“I’m proud of Juan and Vik’s effort this weekend,” said Tech assistant coach Derek Schwandt, who traveled with the two players to New York. “They showed some great composure and fought through some tough matches. They played at a high level and will keep getting better.”
