THE FLATS - Georgia Tech All-America tennis player Juan Spir has received a wild card berth into the singles qualifier for the upcoming BB&T Atlanta Open, which will be held at Atlantic Station July 20-28 and is the first men's event in the Emirates Airline US Open Series.
Spir, a graduating senior from Medellin, Colombia, is the fourth Tech player to receive a wild card berth into the events' qualifier in the last four years, continuing a tournament tradition of inviting local collegiate standouts to qualify for the event. Former Tech stars Guillermo Gomez (2011) and Kevin King (2011, 2012) have participated in the last three years. Georgia's Nathan Pasha also received a wild card into the singles qualifier.
A three-time All-American as a doubles player at Tech, Spir achieved a No. 44 ITA singles ranking and a No. 10 doubles ranking with partner and Alpharetta native Vikram Hundal. The pair earned All-American honors this spring by advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2013 NCAA Doubles Championship. Spir also earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors for the third year in a row and finished his career with 75 singles wins and a Tech-record 103 doubles victories.
"Juan has been the backbone of the Yellow Jackets throughout his Georgia Tech career," Georgia Tech coach Kenny Thorne said. "We appreciate the BB&T Atlanta Open for giving our players the opportunity to play against world-ranked pros."
Qualifying rounds are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 20-21, with the main draw beginning Monday, July 22.
