A pair of straight-set victories on Friday have advanced Georgia Gwinnett College seniors Santiago Villarruel and Luis Francisco Sampedro to play for the men's singles championship at the 2025 Intercollegiate Tennis Association South Regional at the GGC Tennis Facility.

DRAWS

Villarruel, the top seed and defending ITA NAIA singles champion, won the last eight games of the semifinal match to post a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Tennessee Wesleyan University's Lucas Grana 6-3, 6-0.

"Going into this tournament, I was struggling with the return part of my game. I have spent a lot of time working on it after practice. Playing doubles has really helped me in that aspect as well," said Villarruel on breaking his opponent's service games.

He opened the day with a commanding 6-0, 6-2 triumph against GGC sophomore Gian Durrer in the quarterfinal round.

Meanwhile, No. 4-seeded Francisco Sampedro knocked off a pair of teammates to reach the singles final in the first fall tournament as a Grizzly. He served efficiently in upsetting senior Francisco Perez Esnaola, the No. 2 seed, by 6-3, 6-1 scores in the afternoon's semifinal match. Earlier, Francisco Sampedro picked up a 6-3, 6-2 victory against freshman Kanan Gasimov.

"I am trying to use my experience to play at the highest level I can. This tournament is filled with matches that test you mentally and physically. It is good to see another Grizzly across the net (three straight matches against GGC teammates), but also it is tough because you practice against each other and have respect for how good of a player they are," said Francisco Sampedro.

Villarruel and Francisco Sampedro will square off in the regional championship match on Saturday, September 20, starting at 9 a.m.

In doubles, the Perez Esnaola-Gasimov team upset No. 3-seed Agustin Gaia-Maceo Simpson of Tennessee Wesleyan in an intense quarterfinal match. The Grizzly duo won a tiebreaker by a 7-2 score.

Then, the top-seeded Villarruel-Francisco Sampedro pairing earned a walk-off victory as a member of the SCAD Atlanta team had to withdraw due to an injury prior to the match. The team will play in Saturday's semifinal round.
 
Coach's Corner
"An all-GGC singles final is all you can ask for as a coach. I'm really proud of the guys and how they competed. I'm looking forward to watching Luis and Santiago compete against each other in the final. In doubles, we knew that we were going to play tough teams from Tennessee Wesleyan. Kanan and Francisco are a brand new doubles team and showed resilience in big moments," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College players will continue play in the ITA South Regional on Saturday, September 20, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 9 a.m.