The top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team opened its national title defense with a convincing 5-0 victory against No. 17-seeded Arizona Christian University on Wednesday morning. That advances the Grizzlies to the quarterfinals of the 2019 NAIA Men's Tennis National Championships.

The Grizzlies (24-0) improved to 21-0 all-time in matches played in the national tournament.

GGC got off to a fast start in doubles with a pair of 8-2 triumphs on the No. 2 and No. 3 courts. The No. 3 doubles tandem of junior Federico Herrera Duran and freshman Daniel Czepielewski registered the first point of the match.

Senior Rafael Coutinho and sophomore Valentino Caratini gave GGC a 2-0 lead with the win on the No. 2 court.

Senior Ayed Zatar and sophomore Federico Bonacia completed the doubles sweep with an 8-4 triumph at the top of the lineup.

The strong play carried over into singles with Coutinho winning 12 of 15 games on the No. 3 court – bringing the team's fourth point of the match. Then, Herrera Duran clinched the Round of 16 match victory with a 6-0, 6-2 victory on the No. 1 court.

GGC will face No. 8-seeded Keiser University (Fla.) in Thursday's quarterfinals, starting at 10 a.m. It is a rematch of last year's national championship match, won by the Grizzlies 5-0.
 

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College plays No. 8-seeded Keiser University (Fla.) in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 NAIA Men's Tennis National Championships on Thursday, May 16, at 10 a.m. from Mobile, Ala.