April 20, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. – Led by a win in doubles action and singles wins by Roger Anderson, Joao Menano and Scott Schnugg, the fourth-seeded Georgia Tech men’s tennis blanked top-seeded and 14th-ranked Duke by a 4-0 score to advance to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship final for the first time since 1999. The ACC Championships are being held at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.
The Yellow Jackets (15-9) stopped a number of streaks in the match, defeating the Blue Devils (14-11) for the first time since the 1989 season and ending Duke’s four-year reign as ACC Champion. The win also gives Tech it’s fourth championship match appearance in school history and a shot at the school’s first ACC men’s tennis title.
Tech got on the board in a hurry, winning a pair of doubles matches to stake itself to a 1-0 lead in the match. The Jackets’ No. 2 doubles tandem of Scott Schnugg and West Nott defeated the Devils’ team of Yorke Allen and Joel Spicher by an 8-4 count. Fabio Campos and Joao Menano, who downed Duke’s Alex Bose and Jason Zimmerman by an8-4 score, followed them at No. 3.
In singles action, Tech’s 27th-ranked Roger Anderson handled 11th-ranked Phillip King at No. 1 singles to give the Jackets a 2-0 lead, as he won in straight sets. Anderson won the first set by a tight 7-5 count and then sailed to a 6-2 victory in the second set. The win was Anderson’s second over a top-20 opponent in the past week. Joao Menano was Tech’s second singles winner of the morning, as he downed the Blue Devils’ Jason Zimmerman in straight sets at No. 3 singles. Menano found the going easy in the first set, winning by a 6-2 score and then held off Zimmerman in the second set for a 6-4 victory.
The Jackets’ Scott Schnugg clinched the match at No.4 singles, as he was a decisive straight-set winner of Duke’s Joel Spicher. Schnugg was never threatened in the match, winning by a 6-2, 6-1 score. The match was halted once Tech had claimed the 4-0 win.
Tech will now face the winner of the match between second-seeded North Carolina and third-seeded Wake Forest in the ACC finals beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning. Full tournament coverage is available at www.theacc.com
#49 GEORGIA TECH 4, #14 DUKE 0DOUBLES1. Yani/King (D) vs. Anderson/Wright (GT), DNF2. Schnugg/Nott (GT) d. Allen/Spicher (D), 8-33. Campos/Menano (GT) d. Bose/Zimmerman (D), 8-4
SINGLES 1. Roger Anderson (GT) d. Phillip King (D), 7-5, 6-2 2. Mike Yani (D) vs. David Wright (GT), DNF 3. Joao Menano (GT) d. Jason Zimmerman (D), 6-2, 6-4 4. Scott Schnugg (GT) d. Joel Spicher (D), 6-2, 6-1 5. Yorke Allen (D) vs. West Nott (GT), DNF 6. Alex Bose (D) vs. Stephen Moros (GT), DNF
-GT-
