THE FLATS – It all came down to the final match as No. 11 Georgia Tech dropped a 4-3 decision Friday night to Syracuse at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The Yellow Jackets moved to 12-9 overall and 5-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with the loss.
DOUBLES – Georgia Tech won a hard-fought doubles point to take the 1-0 match lead against the Orange. Syracuse took the early advantage, winning 6-1 on court two before Tech’s doubles team of Gia Cohen and Ava Hrastar leveled the field, taking court one. Knotted at 3-all against Polina Kozyreva and Sofya Treshcheva, Tech rattled off the next three games to pocket the match, 6-3. The doubles point would be decided on court three where Victoria Flores and Carol Lee trailed Miranda Ramirez and Guzal Yusupova, 4-0. The Jackets erased their deficit, knotting the match at 4-4 and forced a tiebreak at 6-all. Flores and Lee raced out with a 3-1 lead in the tiebreak, but Syracuse battled back to a 4-3 advantage before the Jackets claimed the next four points to seal the victory, 7-6 (7-4).
SINGLES: Syracuse got on the scoreboard quickly in singles as Ramirez topped Cohen on court three, 6-4, 7-5, but Tech regained the lead when Lee picked up a victory on court four over Natalie Novotina. Knotted at 2-2 in the opening set, Lee won the next four games to pocket the set, 6-2. The freshman rallied back from a 3-2 deficit in the second set to win the match, 6-2, 6-3, putting the Jackets on top, 2-1.
The lead was short-lived as the Orange collected the next two singles wins to take the lead, 3-2. Yusupova pocketed a 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 win on court two over Hrastar before Kozyreva defeated Rosie Garcia Gross on court six, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
Competing on court five, Mahak Jain tied the match at 3-3, topping Sofya Treshcheva, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4. In the first set, Jain and Treshcheva stood knotted at 6-6 as the Orange fought off three set points in the tiebreak before Jain collected the opener in a tiebreak battle, 9-7. The opponents stood tied at 4-4 in the second set before Jain won the next two games to solidify the match.
As the sun set, Flores battled Kanapatskaya on court one for the match decision. Flores cruised in the opening set, 6-4, but Kanapatskaya took the second set, 6-3, and led 5-2 in the final third set. Flores fought off match point to 5-3, but Kanapatskaya clinched the match at 6-3.
UP NEXT – The Yellow Jackets make their final regular season road trips next weekend, visiting Louisville and Notre Dame.
RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. Gia Cohen/Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Polina Kozyreva/Sofya Treshcheva (SYR) 6-3
2. Natalie Novotna/Viktoryia Kanapatskaya (SYR) def. Mahak Jain/Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) 6-1
3. Victoria Flores/Carol Lee (GT) def. Miranda Ramirez/Guzal Yusupova (SYR) 7-6 (7-4)
Order of finish: 2,1,3
SINGLES
1. No. 23 Viktoryia Kanapatskaya (SYR) def. No. 13 Victoria Flores (GT) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. Guzal Yusupova (SYR) def. Ava Hrastar (GT) 6-0, 3-6, 6-2
3. Miranda Ramirez (SYR) def. No. 99 Gia Cohen (GT) 6-4, 7-5
4. Carol Lee (GT) def. Natalie Novotna (SYR) 6-2, 6-3
5. Mahak Jain (GT) def. Sofya Trescheva (SYR) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
6. Polina Kozyreva (SYR) def. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
Order of finish: 3,4,2,6,5,1
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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