May 1, 2013
Complete NCAA Singles and Doubles Fields
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech senior Juan Spir and sophomore Vikram Hundal, ranked No. 10 in the nation as a doubles team, have earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Doubles Championship, and Spir, ranked 44th nationally in singles, received an at-large spot in the NCAA Singles Championship.
The NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship will be conducted May 22-27 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex/Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill., hosted by the University of Illinois, following the conclusion of the NCAA team championship, which is being held May 16-21. The singles and doubles fields were announced Wednesday, one day after the 64-team field was announced.
All matches will be the best of three sets. Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games all will be used for all matches.
“Juan finished the season strong,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “He is a veteran in the NCAA doubles tournament, and he and Vikram had a great fall and beginning of spring in doubles. Before Vik’s injury they were No. 3 in the nation and now they have some work to do to get back to that level. Fortunately they have some time to work on things and get stronger. I am excited that we once again we have individual representation in the NCAA tournament. It is always a special tournament with an incredible opportunity for a national title.”
Spir is playing in the NCAA Singles Championship for the second time, having lost in the opening round last spring. He has built a 21-15 overall record this year, 12-10 in dual matches and 8-2 in ACC matches, splitting time between the No. 1 and 2 spots in the Tech singles lineup. He won six straight matches toward the end of the regular season, including four straight over ranked opponents and a straight-set win over the nation’s top-ranked player, Alex Domijan of Virginia, and is 75-52 in his Tech career.
The senior from Medellin, Colombia is playing in the Doubles Championship for the third time, this time with a different partner. Spir and Hundal, a sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., joined forces in the fall to play in the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional and won the title the first time they played together competitively. They went on to win the consolation draw at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships.
They have gone 11-1 in tournament play this year, and were 7-3 at the top of Tech’s doubles lineup in dual matches before Hundal sustained a knee injury at the end of February. Ranked third in the ITA national rankings at the time, they are currently ranked 10th with an 18-5 cumulative record, including a victory over Auburn’s Daniel Cochrane and Andreas Mies, ranked No. 1 at the time, in February.
Spir and sophomore teammate Eduardo Segura, who are 7-6 together this year and ranked 38th, are listed as alternates in the NCAA draw.
Spir is a two-time ITA All-American in doubles, having partnered with Kevin King to win 75 matches in two-plus years before this season. Spir has been involved in a Tech-record 101 doubles victories in his career. He was 4-2 in NCAA doubles competition with King, reaching the semifinals in 2011.
