Strong singles performances have propelled the top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team into the 2024 NAIA national championship match, rallying for a 4-2 victory against No. 4 seed University of Northwestern Ohio in Friday's semifinal match at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.
GGC (17-0), the defending national champions, fell behind 1-0 as the Racers won the final two doubles matches to capture the doubles point. The NAIA's top-ranked pairing of senior
Alex Gurmendi and sophomore
Santiago Villarruel won six of the seven games on the No. 1 court for the Grizzlies' lone doubles victory.
UNOH (20-3) got victories on the No. 2 doubles court from Lucas Perez and Sergio Conde, by a 6-2 score, and in the No. 3 match as the team of Mathieu Strauss and Nils Messin broke GGC's serve and then pulled away for a 6-4 victory.
However, the Grizzlies remained poised and turned their attention to the six singles matches, capturing the first set on five courts.
"I couldn't have asked for a better singles performance. They showed a lot of grit and determination," said Keeling about the team's comeback.
UNOH's match advantage increased to 2-0 after Malik Omarkhanov scored a 6-2, 6-2 victory on the No. 3 court.
Then, the momentum switched to GGC as the team quickly won three consecutive matches. The run started with senior
Mihailo Radosavljevic breaking Messin's service game late in the first set and then winning all six games in the second set on the No. 6 court.
Moments later, Gurmendi finished off a 6-4, 6-4 match on the No. 1 court by breaking Conde's serve late in each set. Villarruel gave the team a 3-2 advantage in the dual match with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 triumph at No. 5 singles.
"Alex (Gurmendi) played unreal tennis today and his energy sparked our comeback," said Villarruel. "I'm an older player and that experience helped. I played the important points very well today in my singles match."
GGC led the remaining two matches as sophomore
Luis Francisco Sampedro won the first set and was ahead 4-1 on the No. 4 court. At the same time, senior
Aleksa Ciric was leading Martin Stanchev 3-0 in the deciding third set.
However, Francisco Sampedro's second-set lead evaporated as Strauss won three straight games to even the set at four games apiece. However, the Grizzlies' player broke his opponent's serve and then used the steady 15-20 mph winds that were present at his back as an advantage while serving for the match.
Francisco Sampedro approached the net after striking a forehand deep into the right corner. His volley forced Strauss to hit the wide and send the Grizzlies into Saturday's national championship match.
"I had to play good tennis and I played a good game to break his serve. Then, having the wind at my back helped me jump out to lead in that game. This is my first trip (to the finals) and first time to clinch a victory this week. It was an awesome feeling," said Francisco Sampedro.
"Alex is a super-reliable player and loves playing at the national championships. He led by example today. It was an incredible moment for Luis getting to clinch, but also a good learning moment for him. We can't wait for tomorrow. Playing for a national title is what we train and prepare for all season," said Head Coach
Hannah Keeling.
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play against No. 3 seed Keiser University (Florida) in the 2024 NAIA National Championship match on Saturday, May 18, beginning at 1 p.m. central time at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.
