Men's Tennis Wins ACC Opener Over Georgia Tech
March 7, 2008
<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Atlanta, Ga… Vivek Subramanian battled back for the singles victory to clinch the match for the 24th-ranked University of Miami men’s tennis team, as they defeated No. 39 Georgia Tech, 5-2, in the ACC opener for the Hurricanes on Friday afternoon. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
With the win, Miami improved to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in ACC play, while Georgia Tech fell to 9-3 for the season and 1-2 in the league.
“That was a great team effort today,” said head coach Mario Rincon. “Our guys played hard from top to bottom, and we had to put together a complete match like that to beat a team as strong as Georgia Tech.”
The Hurricanes claimed the 1-0 lead after winning the No. 1 and 2 doubles matches. The 15th-ranked duo of All-American Daniel Vallverdu and Carl Sundberg won their fifth-straight doubles match at No. 1 to improve to 8-1 in dual match play with an 8-6 decision over Georgia Tech’s Scott Blackmon and Ryan Smith. UM’s 39th-ranked tandem of Subramanian and David Rosenfeld battled for the 9-8 win at No. 2 to solidify the doubles point for the Hurricanes and move the duo to 7-1 in the spring.
Sundberg used a straight-sets victory in the No. 4 singles position to give Miami the 2-0 lead, however the Yellow Jackets moved within one, with a win at No. 2 by 80th-ranked David North.
Vallverdu, ranked third in the nation in singles play, picked up his fifth-straight win in the top flight with a hard-fought victory to improve to 8-1 in dual matches and push the Hurricanes to the 3-1 lead. Subramanian then clinched the match for the Hurricanes with his third consecutive win at No. 3.
Freshman Keith Crowley was also victorious for Miami, picking up his first ACC win with a come-from-behind victory at No. 5.
“Danny [Vallverdu] has matured so much as a player this year,” added assistant coach CJ Weber. “He is really leading this team on and off the court. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody save three consecutive match points in a row returning. He must have nerves of steel!
“I couldn’t be more proud of Vivek. He clinched the match for us today, and he had to overcome a lot of adversity to do it. So far, he’s doing a lot to make the most out of his senior year.”
The Hurricanes return to ACC competition on Sunday at No. 60 Clemson at 1 p.m..
No. 24 Miami 5, No. 39 Georgia Tech 2
Singles
1. No. 3 Daniel Vallverdu (UM) def. Guillermo Gomez (GT), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
2. No. 80 David North (GT) def. No. 101 David Rosenfeld (UM), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Vivek Subramanian (UM) def. Eliot Potvin (GT), 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
4. Carl Sundberg (UM) def. Scott Blackmon (GT), 6-3, 6-3
5. Keith Crowley (UM) def. Ryan Smith (GT), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Miguel Muguruza (GT) def. JC Whitner (UM), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 1, 3*, 5, 6
Doubles
1. No. 15 Daniel Vallverdu/Carl Sundberg (UM) def. Scott Blackmon/Ryan Smith (GT), 8-6
2. No. 39 Vivek Subramanian/David Rosenfeld (UM) def. Guillermo Gomez/David North (GT), 9-8
3. Doug Kenny/Eliot Potvin (GT) def. Keith Crowley/Hector Nieto (UM) 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*
