Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis players have claimed spots in the semifinal round of the singles and doubles draws at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup following strong Friday afternoon performances at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Georgia.

DRAWS: SINGLES | DOUBLES

GGC's two doubles teams picked up quarterfinal victories – both winning in straight sets. The No. 3-seeded tandem of senior Jeremias Rocco and junior Santiago Villarruel picked up a strong 6-1, 6-2 win against a Holy Cross College (Indiana) pairing. Then, seniors Andoni Garmendia and Aleksandr Kalinin won by identical 6-2 set scores against a team from Arizona Christian University.

The Garmendia-Kalinin doubles team is the tournament's No. 4 seed in the draw.

In singles, Villarruel rallied from dropping the opening set to capture the next two sets for a victory against Danil Ozernoy of SCAD Savannah (Georgia). The Grizzly won the second set by a 6-4 score before completing the comeback with a 7-5 triumph in the deciding third set.

Friday's victory marked his first three-set match after Villarruel had won his first six fall matches in straight sets. The No. 3 seed will play Shaheed Alam of Keiser University (Florida), the tournament's No. 2 seed, in the semifinal round on Saturday, October 12, at noon. Alam also registered a three-set, come-from-behind quarterfinal victory.
 
Coach's Corner
"I am super proud of the guys today. Santiago had a battle today in singles and came through with a great win. Coming back from a set down and digging deep to win in three sets shows how tough mentality he is. I am very excited for him going into the semifinal tomorrow. Both doubles teams performed very well with routine wins. Having two teams in the semis is exciting," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
 
Up Next
Play continues in the ITA Cup's singles and doubles draws on Saturday, October 12, in Rome, Georgia, starting at noon.