The men’s tennis team got the season off to a 2-0 start when they swept Lipscomb and Gardner-Webb last weekend at home. The team hopes to continue its success and extend a streak of no points lost.
Tech, ranked No. 43 in the latest ITA rankings, dropped just three sets out of the 12 singles matches and swept all three doubles sets in both matches against the Bisons and the Bulldogs. The women’s tennis team has started off on a similar streak, sweeping both of the matches they have played this season.
In the opening match against Lipscomb, Tech was able to quickly put their opponents away in both singles and doubles matches.
Guillermo Gomez and George Gvelesiani beat Andy Mizell and Josh Cummings 8-2. Miguel Muguruza and Eliot Potvin secured the doubles point for the Jackets with an 8-3 win over Joe McArdle and Jeff West. For good measure, Scott Blackmon and Ryan Smith won 8-2 over the team of Daniel Hangstefer and Mario Hernandez.
In the singles round, Smith opened the set of matches up by quickly putting away his opponent. He defeated James Murrell 6-0, 6-1. Gomez quickly followed with a 6-0, 6-2 win over McArdle. Blackmon secured the match and Tech’s fourth point with a win over Hangstefer 6-1, 6-3. To finish the match, Potvin defeated Hernandez 6-1, 6-2, Gvelesiani beat West 6-0, 6-2 and Austin Roebuck beat Cummings 6-4, 6-4.
The second match of the double-header pitted Tech against Gardner-Webb. Tech faced more resistance from the opposition, but still managed to hang on.
Gomez and Gvelesiani beat Taylor Ferrier and Grant Van Rensburg 8-4 in the second doubles match.
The No. 1 doubles match had Blackmon and Smith beating Andrew Veeder and Evgeny Slesarev 8-6. The final doubles match saw Potvin and Muguruza defeating Carlos Quijano and Rafael Altmeyer 8-6.
The singles matches were also a little tougher in the matchup against the Bulldogs. Potvin was the first player to finish his match from the No. 5 spot, beating Van Rensburg 7-5, 6-0 in the process .
Gomez then took care of his opponent, Slesarev, 6-1, 6-4. The clinching point came from Smith in the No. 4 singles spot; he beat Altmeyer 6-4, 6-2.
Muguruza then defeated Ferrier 6-3, 7-5. Muguruza beat Veede in a closer match that went to three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Finally, Blackmon beat Quijano in a comeback victory that took three sets 6-7, 6-2, 6-2.
The men’s team will play another double header this weekend when USC-Upstate and Georgia Southern come to Atlanta this Sunday. Matches start at 10 a.m. at the Bill Moore Tennis Center and will continue for the rest of the day.
Tech will continue their home stand for the next month, concluding with a match against Georgia State on Feb. 26.