Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis sophomore Kanan Gasimov completed a dominant fall tournament performance to capture the first title of his collegiate career, winning the singles championship of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association South Regional on Sunday at the GGC Tennis Facility.

RESULTS

Gasimov, the tournament's No. 3 seed, scored a straight-set victory over Tennessee Wesleyan University's Nicolas Cortes, a former regional champion. The Grizzly player won the last 10 games to win by 6-3, 6-0 scores.

"There were some nerves, as to be expected, knowing it was a final (match). But, as the match went on, I felt more comfortable and confident," said Gasimov.

Sunday's championship match had four service breaks among the first six games.

With Cortes leading 3-2 in the first set, Gasimov relied on a strong return game to break his opponent for the second time and even the match at three games apiece.

Gasimov then seized momentum of the match by hitting a running forehand lob over a net-charging Cortes to clinch another service break. That give the GGC player a 5-3 edge in the first set.

"I hit a backhand cross court to his backhand and I knew he was going to go down the line, so I was going to hit the ball back with some pace," Gasimov said. "I took a glance and saw how close he was to the net. That gave me an opportunity to hit a lob over him with some top spin so that it could land inside the baseline to get the break. That was the most important moment of the match."

Gasimov capitalized on that momentum swing to take a quick 3-0 lead in the second set, breaking Cortes' serve twice in the frame. He then closed out the match with a service ace, falling to his knees on the court with a smile after capping the four-day tournament with his fifth consecutive straight-set triumph.

"One moment can make the match. Often in the men's game, it takes just one break of (an opponent's) serve to win a set. Kanan is determined to get to every ball and compete for every point. That (first-set lob) shot drew a massive reaction and was a major momentum shift," said Head Coach Tom Rees.

As the ITA South Regional singles champion, Gasimov has secured an automatic berth to compete in the ITA Cup, where he will challenge for the NAIA individual championship in Rome, Georgia, on October 15-18.
 
Coach's Corner
"Kanan's opponent (Cortes) won the regional a couple of years ago, so he was familiar being in that arena. However, Kanan hung around and kept the score tight early in the match. Then, after playing himself into the match, (Gasimov) was able to come away with the victory. He played better in every round of this tournament," said Head Coach Tom Rees.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College players are scheduled to compete in the ITA Cup on October 15-18 in Rome, Georgia.