Georgia Gwinnett College senior tennis player Valentino Caratini became the men's program's career singles wins leader with a straight-set victory at No. 4 singles in the Grizzlies' 6-1 triumph Thursday against San Diego Christian College (California) at the GGC Tennis Facility.

Caratini's 6-2, 6-4 win was the 78th of his singles career, with 66 coming during the spring portion of each season. He also holds GGC's career mark with 131 doubles victory, bringing his total wins to a remarkable 209 victories.

"I play for my teammates and GGC men's tennis. I'm proud of the record but it is only because of my teammates that I'm able to achieve this success," said Caratini, who has a dazzling 66-2 spring singles record.

Georgia Gwinnett College Head Coach Chase Hodges added, "I am extremely proud of Valentino and what he has accomplished. He has been a major part of our program since arriving in 2018. To break these records is a testament to his hard work and determination. Valentino is a great leader and teammate and as a coach has been a pleasure to have him be a part of GGC men's tennis."

The Grizzlies (15-0) quickly grabbed the dual match's doubles point with the senior duo of Agustin Tamagnone and Caratini clinching the point with a 6-1 victory on the No. 1 court. Seniors Matthias Haim and Daniel Czepielewski were victorious 6-2 on the No. 2 court for the first doubles triumph. Senior Vicente Lagos and freshman Guilhem Perez Le Tiec picked up a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles to round out the team's early strong play.

In singles, Perez Le Tiec quickly gave the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-0 win on the No. 6 court. Then, Caratini secured the team's third point before Tamagnone earned the match-clinching fourth point behind a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles.

Sophomore Alex Gurmendi rallied from dropping the opening set on the No. 2 court to win a hard-fought three-set match. He forced a deciding third set with a 6-1 score in the second set before winning 6-4 in the deciding third set. Lagos rounded out the winners with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) triumph on the No. 5 court.
  "A dominant performance in doubles really gave us a lot of confidence. Guilhem (Perez Le Tiec) got us a quick point in singles to continue the positive momentum. Now we have a big match tomorrow against No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan," said Head Coach Chase Hodges.
  Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan University on Friday, March 11, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 1 p.m.