The No. 2-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team opened the Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA Indoor National Championships with a convincing 4-0 sweep against No. 7 seed University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) in Friday morning's quarterfinal round in Rome (Georgia) Tennis Center.

The Grizzlies (4-0) quickly secured the doubles point behind a pair of 6-1 triumphs on the No. 1 and No. 2 courts. Senior Francisco Perez Esnaola teamed with sophomore Gian Durrer at No. 2 doubles for the clinching match point, giving the team the early 1-0 advantage. Seniors Luis Francisco Sampedro and Santiago Villarruel began the strong doubles play with a win at the top of the lineup.

The positive momentum carried over into singles play, with GGC winning the first set in all six matches.

GGC built a 2-0 lead as Perez Esnaola recorded a 6-4, 6-1 triumph at No. 5 singles. Moments later, freshman Yerassyl Yerdilda was victorious by a 6-3, 6-1 score to tally the team's third point of the match. Yerdilda improved to 4-0 in singles action this season.

Senior Juan Carlos Garcia closed out the match with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles.

The Grizzlies are the two-time defending ITA NAIA Indoor national champions.
 
Coach's Corner
"We got the job done today. We will need to continue to elevate our intensity with each round in these championships. The Grizzlies are united as one family towards one goal (winning the championship)," said Head Coach Tom Rees.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to face No. 3 seed Southeastern University (Florida) in the semifinal round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA Indoor National Championships on Saturday, February 14, in Rome, Georgia, starting at 11 a.m.