Pair of Golden Eagles battle in finals at UNCG Invitational
A pair of Golden Eagles were the only players left standing in the A2 Singles Flight at the UNC Greensboro Invitational and Justin Kirstein claimed the victory when teammate Josh Girling retired following his win in an exhausting semifinal battle Sunday morning.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- It was an all-Tech finals Sunday in the A2 Singles bracket at the UNC Greensboro Invitational, where Justin Kirstein earned the title after teammate Josh Girling retired following an exhausting semifinal battle in the morning.
The tournament resumed at 9:45 Sunday morning after a rain delay Saturday left two Tech players, Girling and Kirstein, standing through the semifinal round. Kirstein recieved a walkover into the final round when his opponent pulled out for an injury. Girling defeated fourth-seeded Yaroslav Litus from UNC Greensboro, the first opponent to gain a set off Girling in the tournament. Girling came back from the 6-4 defeat in the first set to take the match at 4-6, 6-3, and a close 10-7 tie-breaker for the third.
The two GoldeN Eagles met to represent Tennessee Tech in the
Flight A2 singles Sunday afternoon where Kirstein earned the
victory. He finished the tournament with a 4-0 record while Girling
went 3-1. Kirstein won all his matches in straight sets.
In A1 Singles, Alex Chen posted a 2-2 record, splitting matches in
the consolation round. In the A4 Singles flight, John Taylor was
credited with a 3-1 record while Lloyd Harris was 0-2. In A3
Singles, Joseph Proctor won and lost in straight sets and earned a
victory in the consolation round when his foe withdrew to give him
a 2-1 mark.
In Flight A Doubles, Chen and Kirstein combined to go 2-1, reaching
the semifinals. In Flight B Doubles, Proctor and Taylor were 1-1
while Girling and Arturo Santa Ruiz fell twice.
The Golden Eagles will play next weekend in the Indiana University
Invitational in Bloomington, Ind.
