April 25, 2013
Cary, N.C. – Senior Juan Melian won in straight sets on court two but the Georgia Tech men’s tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 34 Florida State Thursday afternoon in the first round of the ACC Tournament at the Cary (N.C.) Tennis Park.
The Yellow Jackets finish the season with an 8-16 record.
“I thought the doubles point was important going in, and we were happy to have Spir and Hundal back,” head coach Kenny Thorne said. “I have to give credit to FSU’s No. 1 team for playing very well against them. I felt like we were in there and had a lot of opportunities. We were up 40-0 on their serve, at I think 6-5, and we couldn’t convert on a break point, which hurt us a little. Right around that time we got up a break on two. We had opportunities to get back on serve and take the momentum. It was similar to a lot of matches this year, we almost got the momentum a few times we just couldn’t hold on to it.
Florida State took the early lead by winning the doubles point.
In a battle of top-20 ranked teams, the Seminoles came away victorious as the 17th-ranked FSU team of Dominic Cotrone and Blake Davis bested Tech’s 17th-ranked team of Juan Spir and Vikram Hundal on court one.
With Georgia Tech leading 6-4 on court two, Florida State claimed an 8-4 win on court three by Jordan Kelly-Houston and Anderson Reed over the Yellow Jackets’ Eduardo Segura and Colin Edwards.
The Seminoles edged ahead when Anderson Reed downed Hundal 6-3, 6-2 on court four. Melian’s win over Benjamin Lock at No. 2 finished second and was the first Yellow Jacket point of the day.
Florida State’s Michael Rinaldi beat Tech’s Colin Edwards 6-2, 6-3 on court six to put FSU within one point of the team win.
The Yellow Jackets continued to fight until the very end.
Freshman Nathan Rakitt forced a third set with a 6-4 second set win over Jordan Kelly-Houston on court three. Eduardo Segura dropped his first set 6-4 to FSU’s Cristian Gonzalez-Mendez on court five and was tied 6-6 when the match was decided.
Senior Juan Spir battled throughout but lost a 7-6, 6-3 match to No. 109 Dominic Cotrone on court one.
“I told the guys after, we’ve had a tough season, but every match they were fighting, and weren’t hanging their heads and they were really in there and going after things, which says a lot about their character,” Thorne added. “We just struggled getting that fourth point and we needed one extra point most of the season. I was proud of Juan Melian coming out and getting off the court and getting a point on the board. Nathan, all year has been very positive with his mindset and his game has developed, he’s done a great job. We’re excited that he’s going to work hard this summer and come back hopefully in better shape. Spir has had a great end of the season but had a tough one today. I know he’s looking forward to individual singles and doubles in the NCAA tournament, so he’ll get a chance to represent us well there.”
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#34 Florida State 4, Georgia Tech 1
Apr 25, 2013 at Cary, N.C. (Cary Tennis Park)
ACC Championship – Opening Round
Singles competition
1. #109 Dominic Cotrone (FS) def. #40 Juan Spir (GT) 7-6, 6-3
2. Juan Melian (GT) def. Benjamin Lock (FS) 6-3, 6-3
3. Jordan Kelly-Houston (FS) vs. Nathan Rakitt (GT) 6-4, 4-6, 2-1, unfinished
4. Anderson Reed (FS) def. Vikram Hundal (GT) 6-3, 6-2
5. C. Gonzalez Mendez (FS) vs. Eduardo Segura (GT) 6-4, 6-6, unfinished
6. Michael Rinaldi (FS) def. Colin Edwards (GT) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #17 Dominic Cotrone/Blake Davis (FS) def. #10 Juan Spir/Vikram Hundal (GT) 8-6
2. #61 Andres Bucaro/Benjamin Lock (FS) vs. Nathan Rakitt/Juan Melian (GT) 4-6, unfinished
3. Jordan Kelly-Houston/Anderson Reed (FS) def. Eduardo Segura/Colin Edwards (GT) 8-4
Match Notes:
Georgia Tech 8-15, 1-9 ACC
Florida State 17-9, 4-6 ACC; National ranking #34
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,2,6,1)
