Jan. 29, 2011
Athens, Ga. – North Carolina’s William Parker rallied after losing the first set to defeat Georgia Tech’s Dusan Miljevic in three sets at No. 6 singles, lifting the 20th-ranked Tar Heels past the 23rd-ranked Yellow Jackets, 4-3, Saturday in the first round of the ITA National Kick-Off Weekend.
The Yellow Jackets (2-1) lost for the first time this season, and will face the Oklahoma State, a 4-0 loser to Georgia, at 10 a.m. Sunday. North Carolina (2-0) will meet the 11th-ranked Bulldogs for the right to advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships in three weeks in Seattle, Wash.
Miljevic gained the upper hand by winning the first set in a tie breaker, but Baker rallied for a 6-2 win in set two and closed out the match by taking the third set, 6-4.
“We were in a bubble of mediocrity and outside the bubble was greatness,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “We stretched the bubble to the limit but we weren’t able to break out of it. We didn’t play up to our potential and that is the bottom line.”
Tech fell behind early, dropping the doubles point for the first time this spring, losing two close matches at the No. 1 and 2 positions. Eighth-ranked Kevin King and Juan Spir lost for the first time in three matches, falling 8-6 to Brennan Boyijan and Jose Hernandez at No. 1, while Eliot Potvin and Ryan Smith lost to Stefan Hardy and Zach Hunter, 9-7. Guillermo Gomez and Dean O’Brien won their match over Cameron Ahari and Parker at No. 3, 8-5.
“We have been working hard on doubles, and we played tentatively,” said Thorne. “We started singles well and won 3 of 4 first sets and then finished 2 matches fairly quickly. I give UNC credit for digging deeper than us today and coming back for the win. That is something I’m not comfortable saying and I won’t be saying that again this season.”
Straight-set victories by Kevin King, who defeated 58th-ranked Cameron Ahari at No. 4, and 48th-ranked Juan Spir, who got by No. 103 Stefan Hardy at No. 2, put Tech ahead, 2-1.
But the Tar Heels squared the match at No. 1 singles when 30th-ranked Hernandez captured a three-set match over Tech’s Gomez, the nation’s 13th-ranked player. Boyijan, ranked 90th nationally, rebuffed four match points to put North Carolina ahead, 3-2, with a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 win over the Jackets’ Potvin.
Tech sophomore Magin Ortiga knotted the match for the Jackets at No. 5 with a straight-set win over Kyle Baker, leaving Parker and Miljevic to decide the match.
Tennis Match Results
Georgia Tech vs North Carolina
Jan 29, 2011 at Athens, Ga.
#20 North Carolina 4, #23 Georgia Tech 3
Singles competition
1. #30 Jose Hernandez (NC) def. #13 Guillermo Gomez (GT) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
2. #48 Juan Spir (GT) def. #103 Stefan Hardy (NC) 7-6 (7-1), 6-2
3. #90 Brennan Boyijan (NC) def. Eliot Potvin (GT) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)
4. Kevin King (GT) def. #58 Cameron Ahari (NC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Magin Ortiga (GT) def. Kyle Baker (NC) 6-3, 6-2
6. William Parker (NC) def. #93 Dusan Miljevic (GT) 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Jose Hernandez/Brennan Boyijan (NC) def. #8 Kevin King/Juan Spir (GT) 8-6
2. Stefan Hardy/Zach Hunter (NC) def. Eliot Potvin/Ryan Smith (GT) 9-7
3. Guillermo Gomez/Dean O’Brien (GT) def. Cameron Ahari/William Parker (NC) 8-5
Match Notes:
Georgia Tech 2-1; National ranking #23
North Carolina 2-0; National ranking #20
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,2,1,3,5,6)
First round – ITA National Kick-Off Weekend
Match played indoors
