Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis players will once again compete for Intercollegiate Tennis Association South Regional royalty in singles and doubles after strong performances on a busy and productive Saturday at the GGC Tennis Facility.
DRAWS: SINGLES | DOUBLES
Junior
Santiago Villarruel will be representing the Grizzlies in both finals. The No. 2-seeded singles player won 12 of the 13 games in a convincing semifinal victory against David Leon, the No. 4 seed from Tennessee Wesleyan University.
Meanwhile, both sides of the court in the doubles final will be occupied by GGC pairings.
The top-seeded team of senior
Jeremias Rocco and Villarruel collected a pair of victories over TWU teams. They opened the action with an 8-1 triumph against Jhoann Osorio and Diego Blanco Goytia. Later, the Rocco-Villarruel tandem won by identical 6-3 set scores against the No. 3-seeded David Leon-Zoilo Rios team to reach the championship match.
Meanwhile, the No. 4-seeded doubles team of GGC seniors
Jose Garmendia and
Aleksandr Kalinin picked up an 8-5 quarterfinal triumph against TWU's Asier Pascual and Patricio Gallegos. Then, the duo won a grueling three-set semifinal match against SCAD Atlanta's Nicolas Fertonani and Joewyn Pascua, clinching the victory with a 6-0 third-set score. The two teams split the opening two sets by identical 7-5 scores.
The ITA South Regional will conclude on Sunday, September 22, with the singles final at 9 a.m. being followed by the doubles regional match at noon.
Coach's Corner
"I'm thrilled with the performances by our doubles teams today. Having an all-Grizz final is special. I'm proud to see our guys playing tough under pressure in some close matches. Santiago has had a phenomenal tournament (in singles and doubles) and deserves the success he has achieved. I can't wait to see him compete tomorrow in both finals," said Head Coach
Hannah Keeling.
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College players are scheduled to compete for singles and doubles titles in the ITA South Regional on Sunday, September 22. The singles match starts at 9 a.m. before being followed by the doubles final at noon, both at the GGC Tennis Facility.
