ORLANDO, Fla. — University of Georgia freshman Ethan Quinn won the men's tennis NCAA Singles National Championship on Saturday.
Quinn went up against Michigan’s Ondrej Styler and fought off four match points in the second set to force a third set – prevailing with a score of 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-2.
The Fresno, California native is the first men's singles champion from UGA since Matias Boeker won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, according to a release from UGA. He's also the fifth Bulldog and the fourth freshman to win the title in the program's history, a release from UGA stated.
As the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year and a member of the All-SEC First Team, Quinn is the first freshman in program history to make the finals and win the national championship, UGA said.
According to UGA, Quinn is also now part of the elite group of Bulldogs who made it to the finals: including Patricio Arnold (1991), George Bezecny (1985), Matias Boeker (2001, 2002), John Isner (2007), Wade McGuire (1992) and Mikael Pernfors (1984, 1985).
“Since I started college, my goal was to win the singles championship,” Quinn. said. “Getting to achieve that goal is special and getting to join that list of guys is amazing. They had phenomenal careers, and I just hope my career can be just as good as theirs one day.”
UGA Head Coach Manuel Diaz said it meant a lot to him for Quinn to win the title in a comeback fashion.
"It shows a lot of maturity and toughness. He never gave up and that’s what it takes. He’s a wonderful young man that continues to believe. He never gave in and kept fighting, and in the end, he was able to pull it out," Diaz said.
