Strength at the Top Not Enough For Miami in ACC Opener
ATLANTA – Freshmen Adria Soriano and Bojan Jankulovski quickly made their mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play, picking up wins as the University of Miami men’s tennis team was edged by Georgia Tech at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, 4-3, Friday night.
Even after the Yellow Jackets (4-7, 1-0 ACC) clinched the victory, the Hurricanes (6-3, 0-1 ACC) were not to go down without a fight in their first conference dual of the spring and went on earn comeback victories each of the top three positions in the lineup.
Senior Christian Langmo and redshirt sophomore Dane Dunlap were on their way to eighth consecutive victory, leading Georgia Tech’s No. 3 duo of Phillip Gresk and Andrew Li, 6-5, but it was the Yellow Jackets who took the lead.
At the top position, Jankulovski and Soriano fell to Michael Kay and Carlos Divar, 6-2, while at No. 2 their fellow freshman Pablo Aycart and senior Nile Clark were bested by Daniel Yun and Elijah Melendez by the same score.
In singles play, Yun defeated senior Niclas Genovese, who played at the bottom of the lineup for the first time this spring, 6-2, 6-3.
In the only other straight-set match, Miami senior Piotr Lomacki forced a tiebreaker in set two, but fell to Li, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) at No. 4 in his first match of the season. Lomacki competed for the first time since last April after being sidelined extensively due to injury.
Dunlap, who was moved to No. 5 in the lineup, recovered from dropping a close first set by winning the second set in nine games, but could not withstand Kay in the decisive set, falling, 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 at the end.
Soriano grabbed his first ACC victory the hard way. The Spain native had a chance to close out the No. 2 matchup against Gresk in straight sets, but allowed the second set to reach a tiebreaker, which went Georgia Tech’s way in a painfully close fashion. Nevertheless, the Canes’ freshman showed maturity and ultimately came out as a 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4 winner to pace Miami’s strong finish.
The Canes triumphed on the main court as well, where Langmo overcame an early setback against Divar to win in three sets as well, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. This was Langmo’s fifth singles victory in a row, which improved his spring record to 5-2.
At No. 3, Jankulovski, too, managed to overcome a less-than-desirable start to his ACC career, but came out as a victor in in conference debut, taking down Melendez in three sets, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
After a short turnaround, Miami will travel to Anderson, S.C., for its third match against ranked oppositioin this spring, taking on No. 50 Clemson. First serve is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
For all of the latest news around Miami’s men’s tennis team, follow @CanesMensTennis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,or go to HurricaneSports.com.
RESULTS
Doubles Competition
1. Michael Kay/Carlos Divar (GT) def. Bojan Jankulovski/Adria Soriano (UM), 6-2
2. Daniel Yun/Elijah Melendez (GT) def. Nile Clark/Pablo Aycart (UM), 6-2
3. Christian Langmo/Dane Dunlap (UM) vs. Phillip Gresk/Andrew Li (GT), 6-5, unfinished
Singles Competition
1. Christian Langmo (UM) def. Carlos Divar (GT), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. Adria Soriano (UM) def. Phillip Gresk (GT), 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4
3. Bojan Jankulovski (UM) def. Elijah Melendez (GT), 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
4. Andrew Li (GT) def. Piotr Lomacki (UM), 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
5. Michael Kay (GT) def. Dane Dunlap (UM), 7-5, 3-6, 6-0
6. Daniel Yun (GT) def. Niclas Genovese, 6-2, 6-3
