The Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the 2019 NAIA Men's Tennis National Championships behind a 5-0 victory against Keiser University (Fla.) on Thursday at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.
The Grizzlies (25-0) will face No. 5-seeded William Carey University (Miss.) during Friday's semifinals, starting at 10 a.m.
Thursday's GGC-Keiser quarterfinal contest was a rematch of last year's national championship match. Once again, the Grizzlies came out on top by a 5-0 score.
Georgia Gwinnett College, the tournament's top seed, jumped out to a 3-0 lead following doubles. The tandem of senior
Ayed Zatar and
Federico Bonacia started the winning ways with an 8-3 victory on the No. 1 court.
Meanwhile, the other two doubles matches were hard-fought battles. Senior
Rafael Coutinho and sophomore
Valentino Caratini picked up an 8-6 triumph on the No. 2 court. Junior
Federico Herrera Duran and freshman
Daniel Czepielewski got a late break of serve for an 8-6 win in the No. 3 match.
GGC got two quick points in singles play to complete the victory. Bonacia won by identical 6-1 set scores on the No. 2 court before Coutinho registered a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles – clinching the team's victory.
The Grizzlies have won 107 straight matches and are 22-0 all-time in matches at the NAIA national championship tournament.
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College plays No. 5-seeded William Carey University (Miss.) in the semifinals of the 2019 NAIA Men's Tennis National Championships on Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m. from Mobile, Ala.
