SOUTH BEND, Ind. – There is no better way to start conference play than with a 1-0 record in the ACC which is what the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team got for defeating Georgia Tech at home tonight.
Notre Dame jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead taking wins at #1 and #2 doubles. The combinations the Irish have been sending out in doubles remained the same while Georgia Tech has new doubles pairings at two of their three spots. After Peter Conklin and Matthew Halpin held serve after being down 0-40 to go up 2-1, they would get a break and then hold out for the 6-3 victory at the #2 spot. Shortly after, top duo Matthew Che and Axel Nefve would take out new team Martin and Dong 6-4. Connor Fu and Jean-Marc Malkowski were stepping to the line to attempt to serve out their match when play was abandoned.
In singles, the Irish would win four first sets to keep momentum up from the doubles. After Georgia Tech claimed a quick victory at #6 singles, senior captain Nefve would tally a point with a comprehensive win over #12 ranked Andres Martin 6-2, 6-3. On the court next to him, Che and Keshav Chopra would line up against each other in a rematch of their contest last year in Atlanta in which Chopra would get the best of the Irish. But tonight was a different story as Che would get his first career ranked singles win over #105 Chopra at the #3 position 6-3, 6-4. With the lead up to 3-1, Connor Fu would seal the victory with a hard fought 7-6, 6-3 win over Chen Dong.
The remaining matches would be played out even though the overall match was over. Graduate students Peter Conklin and Addy Vashistha both found themselves battling in third sets. Their efforts to win the second and first sets respectively made a big impact on the team match helping get the Notre Dame momentum to the fourth point and win. However, they would both ultimately fall to their opponents in those final sets to make the final score 4-3.
Up Next:
Sunday brings ACC foe Clemson to town for a noon match. With the weather right on the threshold, the match could be outdoors for the first time this year or may be inside the Eck, that decision will be made 90 minutes before first serve. After the match, the Irish will take on the Fordham Rams at 4:30pm in the first ever meeting between those programs.
Box Score
#32 Notre Dame 4 – #44 Georgia Tech 3
Doubles
- Che/Nefve(ND) def. Dong/Martin(GT) 6-4
- Conklin/Halpin(ND) def. McDaniel/Chopra(GT) 6-3
- Fu/Malkowski(ND) vs. McKinney/Guerrero(GT) 5-4 Did Not Finish
Singles
- #95 Nefve(ND) def. #12 Martin(GT) 6-2, 6-3
- McDaniel(GT) def. Vashistha(ND)4-6, 7-6, 7-6
- Che(ND) def. #105 Chopra(GT) 6-3, 6-4
- Fu(ND) def. Dong(GT) 7-6, 6-3
- McKinney(GT) def. Conklin(ND) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
- Schelcher(GT) def. Malkowski(ND) 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles(2, 1); Singles (6, 1, 3, 4, 5, 2)