Although there wasn't a tiebreaker, the final match of the day between Marcio Petrone and Roger Anderson decided Sunday's ACC clash between North Carolina and Georgia Tech at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. In the end, UNC won 4-3.
Like the rest of the Tar Heels (9-4, 2-0 in the ACC), which once trailed the Yellow Jackets 3-1, Petrone was down to No. 28 Anderson early. But he pulled out the win with a second-set rally and a strong third set to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
"It came down to focus," Petrone said. "Not concentrating on winning or losing, but focusing on every point."
The key game for Petrone came at 4-4 in the third, in which Petrone began with a 40-love lead. Petrone lost four straight points, giving Anderson an advantage for the break.
But Petrone fended off the attack and won the game, putting him up 5-4. Petrone then coasted to a break of serve and won the match with a forehand winner down the line.
"He had been playing unbelievable tennis in the first two sets," Petrone said of Anderson. "I tried my best and hung with him, but I knew he couldn't play the whole match."
Aside from Petrone's win and Daniel Pinchbeck's 6-2, 6-4 victory against Jao Menano, Sunday's singles play was filled with match-changing tiebreakers.
UNC's two singles losses hinged on a momentum shift after a first-set tie-break. Nicholas Monroe fell to Schott Shnugg 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, while teammate Geoff Boyd lost to Stephen Monroe 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Both players lost their composure, and their matches, after the tiebreak loss.
