The Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team got back to its winning ways with a convincing 4-0 victory against No. 8 Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky) in Friday's opening day of the Grizzly Invitational at the GGC Tennis Facility.

The Grizzlies (6-1) were back on the court for the first time since falling to No. 2 in the national NAIA Top 25 poll after losing in the title match of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's NAIA Indoor Championships on February 5.

Making Friday's play even more challenging were winds that gusted up to 30 miles per hour throughout the match.

GGC grabbed early control of the match by capturing the doubles point. Senior Alex Gurmendi and freshman Dhakshineswar Suresh teamed to win all six games on the No. 1 court before the senior duo of Jose Dugo and Leonardo Sprovieri were victorious 6-2 in the No. 2 match.

The strong play continued when junior Charly Zick collected an impressive 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles to extend the host's advantage to 2-0. Then, Suresh earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory on the No. 2 court before Sprovieri earned the match-clinching point with a straight-set win (6-2, 6-3) in the No. 4 match.

The Grizzly Invitational features four men's tennis programs ranked inside the top 15 in the NAIA Top 25 poll.
  "The men were ready to get back on the court today to play competitive matches. We played with great focus and energy today in rather tough weather conditions. Alex (Gurmendi) and DK (Suresh) played exceptional today at No. 1 doubles. I'm happy that Leo (Sprovieri) got the clinching point. All the players got a lot of confidence and we're looking forward to getting back into action tomorrow against another strong opponent," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
  Georgia Gwinnett College continues hosting the Grizzly Invitational with a match against No. 5 Xavier University (Louisiana) on Saturday, February 18, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 11 a.m.