Georgia Tech's players awarded wildcards to 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships – Tennis News
Atlanta Tennis Championships, tournament director Bob Bryant recently announced the inclusions of Georgia and Georgia Tech’s players into the tournament’s 2011 edition. Together Georgia Tech’s Guillermo Gomez and Georgia’s Wil Spencer represent Georgia’s best tennis talent and have a storied rivalry, much to the delight of their fans.
Spencer and Gomez were granted wild cards into the qualifying draw for the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships. Played at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, the event is part of ATP world tour preceding the Olympus US Open Series. It has garnered considerable attention as a premier warm up stop before the US Open and has continually attracted many top players, including the likes of Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and John Isner.
Gomez, a native of Spain, recently graduated from Tech where he was a three time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American. He has been ranked No. 3 nationally, amongst collegiate tennis players and led the 13th seed Yellow Jackals to the third round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. Gomez ended his school career with an astounding record 119 singles wins.
Georgia’s rising star, senior year student Spencer earned his spot in the tournament by helping lead the Bulldogs to the semi finals of last season’s NCAA championship, where they lost to the season’s eventual champions USC. Spencer hails from Ponce de Leon, Fla.
In the doubles too, the tournament organizing committee increased local participation by pairing former interstate rivals, Georgia Tech’s Kevin King and Georgia’s Drake Bernstein, who were the two wild card entrants to the doubles competition. King was part of the Georgia Tech team that took out both the No.7 and No.1, to make way to the semis of the NCAA Doubles Championship last year. Georgia’s Bernstein partnered with Wil Spencer to lead them to doubles wins last season.
Gomez maintained the upper hand throughout his last match with Spencer, at a Georgia Tech and Georgia dual meet on February 12 this year. Georgia Tech’s coach Kenny Thorne praised Guillermo as an outstanding player, who was dangerous at any level in tennis. "It will be exciting to see him represent Georgia Tech while he competes against the best players in the world at the Atlanta Tennis Championships."
Not to be left back, UGA’s coach Manuel Diaz said that Spencer’s performance, ranking and result have improved tremendously since the February meet. He reckoned, "He (Spencer) will not only pose a threat to Guillermo [Gomez], but also to any other player he might face in qualifying. I look forward to seeing him in the main draw."
Nevertheless, the competition at the Atlanta Tennis Championships has been raised a notch higher by these wild card inclusions. The singles’ winner here will become the first active collegiate player to qualify for the main draw of an Olympus US Open Series event since USC's Steve Johnson in Los Angeles in 2010.
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