April 17, 2014
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team concludes its regular season with a night match at home against 20th-ranked Clemson at 6 p.m. Friday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
The Yellow Jackets (7-13, 1-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) look to stem a seven-match skid against the Tigers (18-7, 5-4 ACC), who have lost four of their last five contests. Both teams suffered losses at North Carolina and Duke last weekend.
Tech, which was unable to score a point in either match, played with just five players due to injuries in other issues, forfeiting the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles spots. They will do so again this weekend.
“Clemson is having a good season and is coached well,” said Tech coach Kenny Thorne. “We want to finish out the regular season fighting as hard as we did our first match of the season. We can control that and it will happen. We’re looking forward for our freshmen to finish out their first season at home and with a good opportunity against a top 20 team.”
Winning the doubles point has proven difficult for Tech, despite the presence of two teams listed in the ITA national rankings. The Yellow Jackets’ No. 1 tandem of Carlos Benito and Eduardo Segura are 12-10 this spring and 10-9 in dual matches, while the No. 2 unit of Cole Fiegel and Nathan Rakitt are 8-10.
Tech’s singles lineup last weekend featured Rakitt, a sophomore from Marietta, Ga., at No. 1, followed by Segura, a junior from Madrid, Spain, Benito, a freshman from Madrid, Fiegel, a freshman from Alachua, Fla., and Colin Edwards, a junior from Valrico, Fla.
Fiegel has compiled an 11-6 mark in dual matches and a 5-5 slate in the ACC, best among the Jackets.
Following this weekend, Tech will travel to Cary, N.C., for the ACC Tennis Championships, which begin April 24.
