Syracuse falls to Georgia Tech in 1st round of ACC tournament
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A few months ago, Syracuse was 11-1 and ranked No. 16 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Injuries and poor play lead to Syracuse ending the regular season on a nine game losing streak, finishing as the 10 seed for the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
The Orange faced off against No. 7 Georgia Tech for the second time this season after a 1-6 loss in March. Heading into the match, the Yellow Jackets stood at No. 20 in the ITA rankings, while having four nationally ranked singles players.
In the first doubles, Zeynep Erman returned to the court for the first time in three matches, pairing with Ines Fonte. The pairing battled throughout the match, but fell 4-6.
Shiori Ito and Viktoriya Kanapatskaya played in the second doubles spot. The duo came out strong early, picking up a 6-3 win.
Polina Kozyreva and Miyuka Kimoto have struggled throughout the season in the third doubles matches. Kozyreva and Kimoto were dominated lost 2-6, losing the point for SU. Syracuse continued its trend of finding itself behind after the doubles matches.
In the first singles spot, Erman faced No. 13 Carol Lee, who has won eight out of her last nine matches. Erman was still banged up, withdrawing in the first set after going down 0-2.
Kimoto faced No. 28 Kylie Bilchev in the second singles match. Kimoto’s singles struggles continued against Bilchev, losing 1-6 in both sets.
Kozyreva has been strong in the fourth singles spot all year. Kozyreva faced No. 110 Alejandra Cruz, looking to keep the SU’s season alive. In the first set, Kozyreva kept it close at the start. Cruz separated late, winning 6-3. In the second set, Kozyreva lost 0-6, as Georgia Tech sealed the victory.
When the match finished, Kanapatskaya and Fonte were close to victory for SU. They both won the first set and had strong leads in the second.
Currently ranked at No. 39 in the ITF rankings, Syracuse is unlikely to make the national tournament.
