Clemson Tops Georgia Tech in ACC Opener

Score: Clemson 5, Georgia Tech 2
Records: Clemson (6-1, 1-0 ACC), Georgia Tech (3-5, 0-1 ACC)
Location: Ken Byers Tennis Complex, Atlanta, Ga.

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Clemson men’s tennis team improved to 6-1 (1-0 ACC) on Friday night with a 5-2 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC opener. With the loss, the Yellow Jackets slip to 3-5 (0-1 ACC).

Clemson took care of business in doubles with victories on courts one and three to clinch the doubles point. The French duo of Alex Favrot and Simon Baudry were the first to finish (6-3) followed by Carlos Kelaidis and Marshall Dagostine (6-2).

The Yellow Jackets bounced back strong and took the match points at No. 4 (6-1, 6-1) and the No. 6 (6-2, 4-6, 6-0) to give them an early 2-1 lead. Baudry tied the match at two-all with a (6-3, 6-4) victory at No. 2 over Andrew Li of Georgia Tech. Moments later Favrot defeated Carlos Divar, ranked 39th by the ITA, (6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

Turning Point

Kelaidis took an early lead at No. 5, winning the first set 6-4 over Chris Yun. The Glyfada, Greece native clinched a Tigers victory after winning the tiebreak 7-6 (7-5) in the second set.

Inside the Box Score

– Three matches ended in tiebreaks that were all won 7-6 (7-5).

– Clemson is on a five-match winning streak.

– Favrot defeated his second ranked opponent of the spring.

News & Notes

– The last time the Tigers defeated the Yellow Jackets was on April 18, 2014, with a score of 5-2.

– The Tigers are 5-0 against team who saw action in the NCAA Tournament last season, defeating Presbyterian, Army, Cornell and Georgia State, Georgia Tech.

– Clemson still holds a slight lead in the all-time series, 30-28.

Up Next

The Tigers will return to action Friday, Mar. 2 as they host No. 17 Florida State in the ACC home opener at AU Tennis Center. The match is set for a 5 p.m. start.

Head Coach John Boetsch Quotes

“We challenged the guys this week to go out as a team and compete like champions from the first point to the last point. This was the next step needed in establishing ourselves as a team. I am so proud of the guys because that is what they did today in Atlanta. We had #3 doubles step up to clinch the doubles and then all of our guys fought hard in singles. There is a certain way to compete and play this game, and we took a step forward as a team doing this. These guys love each other and when they compete, it is on display. They love to fight hard for Clemson. Coach Young, Sprenglemeyer and I are loving working with this group.”