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Ethan Quinn

Georgia Bulldog Ethan Quinn Talks Following 2023 U.S. Open First-Round Loss

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Following his 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 first round loss to Spain’s Bernabé Zapata Miralles at the 2023 U.S. Open, NCAA singles champion from the University of Georgia Ethan Quinn answered questions from the press in Media Room No. 6 at the Bud Collins Media Room inside Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

QUESTION:

So just talk a little bit about the match, just how the flow went and so forth. You got off to a big start and then loose game and then kind of playing catch up after that.

ETHAN QUINN:

Yeah, I mean it’s never fun losing, obviously. I felt like I was definitely in the match the entire time. I never felt like I was blown off the court. I mean credit to him, he was able to make it a really physical match. I think that’s what he does so well. I mean that’s why he is top 100 in the world. He’s able to really put you in uncomfortable positions and my coach before the match, he was like be comfortable with the uncomfortable and I think he just got the better me a little bit there. I mean from the start definitely had the energy from the crowd, which was really nice for me. Really made me feel like I was back in Athens, which I really appreciated. I mean that’s something that I’m always going to miss, probably being in the professional tours, just not having that Athens energy in the Athens crowd, but for the most part, yeah, from the start had a good start, got broken in the second game after being up, which was unfortunate and had to battle back, but definitely had my opportunities throughout the match, had break points  Third set was even… up a break, wasn’t able to convert. But like I said, him making it a physical match made it a little bit tougher for me to continue at the level I was at. I mean I started really feeling it late in the second, early in the third with my forehand doing what I was doing really well, but he was able to really make it physical and make it tough for me to continue that level.

QUESTION

But what can you draw from this experience? I mean it’s like a first you got to get your feet wet. It’s like your first Grand Slam main draw  but what can you draw from having this experience playing in the US Open, playing in front of a big crowd, playing the number 76 guy in the world. Really only a couple points here or there, really separated you

ETHAN QUINN

Yeah, I mean you can definitely take away how physical this level is. Always room to improve physically. I mean I’m only 19 years old so I definitely have a lot of room to improve there. Definitely have a great team behind me that’s given me the opportunity to really improve in that level and improve in that aspect. I think that’s probably the number one thing, just getting to that physicality there and then honestly just the discipline on court and he’s a prime example of just really making you earn your points. I feel like I definitely could have done a better job in that area, just making him try and win more points. Gave him a little bit too many unforced errors. Definitely had the right intention behind my shots, but just was giving a little bit, giving too many free points, easy buckets is what some coaches, one of my coaches like to say from Georgia. And so just really making it tougher on him would be the second thing I could definitely use and learn.

QUESTION:

As Randy was asking right there towards you and you mentioned this Brad Stine, to get a guy like him and to be your coach, how did that come to be for you and how did you have that full trust with how he’s so respected, but you still have to vibe with the coach no matter who it is. What made that be the sell point for you to be the coach for you?

ETHAN QUINN

I mean, he’s been coaching me since I was six years old. He was one of my first coaches I ever even had being both of us from Fresno, California, and he lives five minutes from me. It really was a no brainer, honestly. We were both members at the same club. Whenever he would come back home from coaching, whoever he was coaching at the time, whenever he would come back home, I mean he was still my coach and then when he was on the road, we would be texting every single day about whatever it was on court stuff and even off court information. It was really an easy choice for me to be part of that team. And then honestly, COVID was when it really made sense to me the most. He was kind of stuck at home, if you’d like to say he was stuck in Fresno. Me and him got to practice every single day and really from there my game shot up. That’s when I became number one recruit in the country. I had my best results in junior ITFs there. And honestly, I think it was a result of just being with Brad every single day, being with such a high level coach every single day.

QUESTION:

We had John Isner of course say that this was going to be his final US Open. And have you had a chance to talk with him or engage with him? Just your whole thoughts on with him and if you had any experience with

ETHAN QUINN:

Yeah, he’s been a great mentor even starting from last year at the US Open. That’s where I met him the first time here, just upstairs after one of my first qualifying match. So he’s been a great mentor for me. I got added to the UGA alumni chat even though I’m not an alumni and he’s been great.

QUESTION:

He added you?

ETHAN QUINN:

No, Manny Diaz. He’s the leader of the pack, so he added me to it and John was one of the first people to welcome me into it, both physically and in a message in the chat. So yeah, it’s great getting to have him in my corner and honestly, there’s a few other college guys like Steve Johnson who he’s been great. A few of these challenger tournaments this summer. He’s been there with me just talking, me practicing with him, just getting to hear his perspective has been great for me.

QUESTION:

That Georgia experience for you to be on a campus, going for a third time national championship football, tremendous success in track and many other sports, just the whole vibe of being down there in Athens for you, how’s it been?

ETHAN QUINN:

Absolutely incredible. Honestly, I didn’t think that getting to college would’ve been as productive as it was. Obviously my first semester being a Redshirted student, it gave me the chance to kind of dip my toes into a little bit of the distractions, really get my ability to know when and where I should be, getting that opportunity was really good for me leading into my first season. Once I was able to get into my first season, I realized that I had already had the college experience. I had already had all the experiences that I could have imagined, and so then I was able to focus on tennis and really felt like I wasn’t missing out getting to be surrounded by such professional athletes. I mean, I think the USA World track. I don’t even know someone in track. Matt

QUESTION:

Matt Boling. Yep, Matt

ETHAN QUINN: Boling. I mean just being surrounded by him and there’s plenty of other guys on the track team that are just world-class athletes and then obviously the football team just being surrounded by such world-class athletes, it really brings up your level and I really appreciate all of that.

QUESTION:

So Manny and Jamie are obviously great coaches and they put great stuff in your ear, but what kind of interaction did you have with Kirby? I know his son plays, but have you had any interaction with him or has he ever told you be the hunter or something?

ETHAN QUINN:

Actually on my first day on campus actually when I was on my visit, I got to meet Kirby. Maybe that was the selling point for Manny and Jamie, but then before the SEC Championship and I think actually no, it was before we played Harvard. Kirby came into our room and he was into our lounge and he really gave us one of those football talks. There definitely was a lot of swearing. I think he put it down a little bit for us because it wasn’t a room of 60 guys like the football guys. So toned it down a little bit for us, but still had the same message, same intensity, and then we came out and played Harvard biggest crowd we had with the incredible level of energy and honestly, I was thinking about him and everything he said the entire time.

QUESTION

I want to ask you real quick, because Ben Shelton, who’s on the other side in terms of Florida side of the world’s largest cocktail party. He had an incredible rise last year and then this year Australian Open. And just seeing that and how you definitely could replicate that even though it is something that is not just easy to do, but something that is possible to do. Just your whole thoughts on this whole year with that and how that gives you inspiration to make the impact right away on tour.

ETHAN QUINN

Yeah, definitely. It’d be great to replicate that. Obviously there’s a possibility that I don’t, and I mean obviously it was a really incredible thing that he did. So I’ve kind of realized that I needed to not have my expectations quite as high. I just need to realize that my pathway might be a little bit different, might take a little bit longer, but whatever pathway it is, I’m sure I’ll get to the same level as him and maybe I’ll be playing him and Grand Slam finals eventually.

QUESTION:

You’re a thoughtful guy, man. It’s been a pleasure talking to you, man.

ETHAN QUINN

Thank you. I appreciate it.

QUESTION:

So speaking of that, I remember you were saying last year at the U.S. Open that you wanted to follow in Ben’s footsteps. You wanted to be the next guy and maybe you said that in Vero Beach, and then sure enough you get the Kalamazoo final, like Ben did you win the NCAA title like Ben did and you got to the US Open here. Ben played the first round of the US Open. He lost. Now are you going to be probably playing in that USTA Pro Circuit challengers this fall where you’re playing like Fairfield and Charlottesville and Champaign and so forth. So talk a little bit about that and that’s really where he made his moves.

ETHAN QUINN

There’s definitely a lot of chances for our similarities in our pathway to be very linear. Again, Ben had a phenomenal fall last year, which was impressive, knowing that he was still taking classes at the time, which I’m still taking classes. I think that’s another thing that most people don’t realize is so similar about us. I mean, we both really want to get our degree and we’re very passionate about getting that second portion of our life once our tennis career is over, kind of having that set. But there’s definitely a lot of opportunity in these challengers coming up after the US Open. It’ll be nice getting to kind of prepare this week. I still have doubles, but getting to still be in this image, in this picture, in the training room with all these guys will be really nice for me. Getting another few days here with Brad, it’ll be really good preparation leading up to all the challengers this fall.

QUESTION:

Last question, how have you felt since you made the announcement, you’re protest player now, how do you feel just walking around, I mean, bigger shoulders up, I mean you’re pro tennis player. Is there anything that you feel differently than when you were?

ETHAN QUINN I mean, definitely it’s a little bit lonelier, I feel like. I mean, that’s probably the thing that you don’t really see the most. I mean, you’re traveling a lot. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of friends at these tournaments to spend time with. I mean a lot of them are on college campuses and since I was in college I have plenty of friends from other teams. So it’s been nice getting to see some of them and rekindle friendships. But then also I’ve been fortunate enough to have, I mean some of the coaches travel with me for USTA. Getting to kind of create friendships with them has been really, really nice. But I mean it’s definitely a different thing. I mean, being a professional tennis player is a lot different than just being an amateur college tennis player. I felt like when I was in college I still walked pretty tall, but now it’s a little bit different. Being on the Challenger tour, I’m kind of new to it. So I definitely could improve in that aspect, making sure I feel like I’m the guy that’s probably somewhere I can improve.

Ethan Quinn at the 2023 U.S. Open

Georgia Bulldog NCAA Champ Ethan Quinn Loses Tight Straight-Set U.S. Open Opener

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

While NCAA singles champion from the University of Georgia Ethan Quinn lost his first round match at the U.S. Open in straight sets to world No. 76 Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain, there was not a lot separating the two. Perhaps it was just a little bit more experience that paid off for Zapata Miralles, playing in his 10th career Grand Slam tournament, in his 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over Quinn, who was playing in the main draw of singles at a Grand Slam for the first time.

“I mean it’s never fun losing, obviously,” said the 19-year-old Quinn following the match. “I felt like I was definitely in the match the entire time. I never felt like I was blown off the court. I mean credit to him, he was able to make it a little really physical match.”

Quinn was broken only once in the first set, in the third game of the match, and then again only once in the second, a missed overhead and a fluke floating bird mishit lob shot from the Spanaird landing just in playing a part in deciding that game. Quinn actually rolled to win three straight games in the third set after being broken to open the set, but then lost the last five games of the match.

“I had a good start, got broken in the second game after being up, which was unfortunate and had to battle back, but definitely had my opportunities throughout the match, had break points,” said Quinn, ranked No. 475 in the ATP singles rankings. “In the third set was even up a break, wasn’t able to convert. But like I said, him making it a physical match made it a little bit tougher for me to continue at the level I was at. I mean I started really feeling it late in the second, early in the third, but he was able to really make it physical and make it tough for me to continue on that level.”

With a win, Quinn would have had the opportunity to play 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic likely in Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, he does pocket a first-round paycheck of $81,000 which will help with his expenses as he embarks on his professional career. He also received sponsorship opportunities with Prudential (watch here https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/video/ethan-quinns-road-us-open-102525203 and for the 2023 U.S. Open with FICO.

Zapata Miralles, who had former Top five player and former French Open runner-up David Ferrer in his box supporting him, was complementary of the young Quinn.

“I know from the beginning that it’s very tough match because Ethan has amazing talent,” said Zapata Miralles. “He’s very young and he plays very good, he plays too much aggressive. So I’m very happy with the victory and I am sure that Ethan, with more matches, will go up in the rankings.”

The 26-year-old Spaniard, however, said that his consistency made him prevail in the end.

“I think the important thing of the match today is that I played so solid without mistakes,” said Zapata Miralles. “I start to return better, more and more and start to feel better physically. I played very solid and waited a little bit, the mistake from Ethan and I’m very happy with my performance today.”

Quinn incredibly won the NCAA singles title for the Georgia Bulldogs last May in Orlando, Florida, coming back from quadruple match point down to win the singles title, which you can read about here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22002 He joined the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors as freshman to win an NCAA men’s singles title. Weeks after winning the title, Quinn announced that he would turn professional. However, he will continue to be a student at Georgia, taking classes online.

He will also play in the U.S. Open men’s doubles tournament pairing with incoming Stanford University freshman Nico Godsick, with whom he won the USTA Boy’s 18s doubles title last year and reached the second round of doubles at the 2022 U.S. Open.

NCAA Champ, New Pro Ethan Quinn Already Thinking About Retirement

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Shortly after winning the NCAA singles title for the University of Georgia as a freshman last May, Ethan Quinn decided to turn pro. Now, after just a few weeks after turning professional, the 19-year-old is already planning his retirement.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) has announced today it is partnering with the next generation of tennis talent – the 19-year-old Quinn – in a brand deal that showcases Ethan at a new stage in his life: Preparing for competition as he makes his professional debut and thinking about…retirement.

Ethan will utilize Prudential Stages for Retirement and Prudential’s team of financial advisors to let his money work for him as he builds his tennis career. Through the power of compound interest, the investment could be worth as much as $2.6 million – nearly the value of winning a tennis title championship– when he is eligible for retirement.

“Ethan understands that the training and hard work pays off in more than one way, and is partnering with Prudential to inspire others to seize the moments when life goes right to plan for a better financial future,” said Susan Somersille Johnson, Prudential’s Chief Marketing Officer. “No matter what happens throughout his professional career – Ethan will be ready. And Prudential will be there to support him.”

This is important, says Prudential Financial Advisor and former professional football player Delvin Joyce. By planning now, Ethan can face his financial future with the same confidence he brings to the court.

“Earning a lot of money when young can create a false sense of security,” Joyce said. “Professional athletes are typically well compensated but are not taught how to manage their wealth. Ethan understands this, and wants to encourage young players to consider their financial future as their career begins, not when it is ending.”

As part of the brand deal, Ethan will star in an ad directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The ad is the latest in Prudential’s ‘Now What?’ brand campaign and will premiere on national TV at the same time as the US Open Aug. 28-Sept. 10. It features a variety of inspiring moments: Ethan at center court of a large-scale stadium. Sitting on the sidelines. Walking down the tunnel. Preparing in the locker room. Near the end, he’s preparing for a serve, and hitting it across the net in what is now the exciting and defining moment of the rest of his life. The voice-over describes Ethan as an underdog, a long shot, a first timer. But it also describes him as ‘something that not too many people ever get to be. A professional.’

Green, a former college athlete who directed such iconic films as Monsters and Men, King Richard, and the upcoming Bob Marley: One Love, says his background in sports was one of the primary reasons he decided to sign on as director of the ad.

“I wish I understood the importance of saving my pennies when I was a young man starting out,” Green said. “Although I was raised to live in the moment, to be present, and that any day could be my last, I hope this ad inspires young people to save for the rainy and sunny days and create a plan for what’s to come.”

The brand deal with Ethan, which will also be supported by paid digital and social media, is in addition to a global campaign for Prudential’s global investment management division (PGIM) in partnership with Cam Norrie, the world’s #13 tennis player and the British #1. PGIM will be prominently featured on Cam’s shirt sleeve when he competes in the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon. Prudential and PGIM also will be featured on shirt sleeves for 40 matches at the US Open.

To learn more, please visit https://www.prudential.com/now-what

Ethan Quinn is a paid promoter and will be a customer of Prudential.  For more information about his partnership, go to prudential.com/nowwhat.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a global financial services leader and premier active global investment manager with approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees help make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people by expanding access to investing, insurance, and retirement security. Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise, and innovation for nearly 150 years. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.

Ethan Quinn of The University of Georgia in action during the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship Singles Finals at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, May 27, 2023. (Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA)

A Georgia – Georgia Tech “Wild Card” Tournament Would Add Excitement, Ease Controversy For Atlanta Open

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

There was some controversy with regard to the wild cards that were given out at the 2023 Atlanta Open tennis championships. It initially left out local NCAA singles champion Ethan Quinn of the University of Georgia, who was passed over in favor of Andres Martin the No. 1 player from Georgia Tech who lost in the first round of the NCAAs, as well as Atlanta native, former Georgia Tech star, recent first-time ATP titlist and eventual Wimbledon quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks.

Wild cards are a sensitive subject and often controversial. Roger Federer once compared wild cards to wedding invitations where the people not invited, who don’t make the cut, are not going to be happy. On the ATP and WTA tours, tournament directors will often award wild cards to players who will enhance attendance and buzz for their event. Sometimes one is given to a star player whose ranking has dropped and preventing direct entry. Or a wild card is offered to a star player who did not originally enter the event but wants to play at the last moment. Other times it is given to a deserving local player who will also help sell tickets locally.

The Atlanta Open, under former tournament director Eddie Gonzalez, implanted a “college night” program where the event would alternate awarding wild cards to players from the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. This was done on an alternating basis, but what happens in a year where a player from one school is more “deserving” of the wild card when it’s the other schools turn to receive the wild card? The issue can up this year under new tournament director Peter Lebedevs when, technically, it was the University of Georgia’s turn to receive the main draw wild card and its top player Ethan Quinn was the NCAA singles champion. The issue brought up a potential Tennis Anti-Corruption violation as discussed here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22193 (As it turned out, Quinn got a last second wild card when John Isner received a special exemption entry, thus opening up the wild card he received.)

But there is an easier way to resolve this Georgia vs. Georgia Tech wild card issue at the Atlanta Open that would avoid controversy and create bigger buzz and anticipation for the tournament – have the players play for it via a special wild card tournament. Gather the top four players from each respective team and play a three-day wild card event, alternating between playing it at the Georgia Tech and UGA tennis facilities, where the winner of the event gets the main draw wild card and the runner-up gets a qualifying wild card. It would provide for great pre-promotion and buzz for the event, with a lot of pre-event chatter and anticipation. The Georgia vs. Georgia Tech rivalry is strong in the state of Georgia. In football, it’s called “Clean, Old Fashioned Hate.” This trickles down to other sports too, including tennis. The 2023 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech tennis match held indoors at Georgia Tech was at fan capacity – even all-time Georgia tennis legend Al Parker had a hard time getting in for the match! This wild card event could add a new twist to the rivalry with spots in the Atlanta Open as the prize.

The quarterfinal match-ups for this special wild card event could be, in draw order, UGA No. 1 vs. Tech No. 4, UGA No. 2 vs. Tech No. 3, UGA No. 3 vs. Tech No. 2 and UGA No. 4 vs. Tech No. 1. You could also pair this event down to just the top two players from each school, if there are time or schedule constraints. You can also perhaps have a clause in the rules of the wild card event that if a Georgia Tech or UGA player wins the NCAAs, they automatically get the main draw wild card and the aforementioned wild card event would only be for a qualifying wild card.

There are increased number of “wild card” tournaments in pro tennis and many feel there should be more. A former top USTA junior and college All-American texted me that he believes part of the reason why there is an increased number of American players in the top 100 are due to competitive opportunities for wild cards. In particular, the USTA holds wild card “challenges” for three Grand Slam tournament opportunities. For the U.S. Open, the USTA awards a wild card to the highest ranking point winner for summer hard court events for players not already accepted into the main draw of the event. Since the USTA has reciprocal wild card relationships with the Australian Open and French Open, it holds similar “challenges” for those wild card spots. Of interest is that Chris Eubanks earned the Australian Open wild card via one of these challengers. (technically, he finished second to Ben Shelton, who actually earned a direct entry due to his strong results and did not need the wild card). Can you say that Chris Eubanks became a much better player perhaps partially because of this “quest” last Fall that got him into the Australian Open and helped he reach the quarterfinals of the Miami Open and Wimbledon and win his first ATP singles title in Mallorca?

Of course, the USTA also annually awards main draw singles and doubles wild cards to the winners of the annual USTA Boys and Girls National 18s championships. When an American wins the NCAA singles championship, the USTA also traditionally awards main draw wild cards, like it did to Quinn from the University of Georgia and Fresno, Calif., this year.

The Australian Open used to hosts two wild card tournaments, one exclusively for Australian players and another for players from Asian nations (held in China) so as to more closely associate the tournament as the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific. In 2017, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan won the Asia-Pacific event and used that momentum to upset world No 2 Novak Djokovic at the event. Read about that and a deeper discussion about wild cards here http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/13906

Wimbledon has a qualifying wild card event that is for all British players, which Marcus Willis famously won the men’s title in 2016. He managed to ride the momentum to win three matches in qualifying (defeating Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev en route) and won his first round match to play Roger Federer on Centre Court in the second round.

Two events on the “Futures” circuit on the ITF World Tennis Tour that award ALL of their wild cards with merit-based events are the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach, Florida (full disclosure, I’m the co-tournament director) and also the $25,000 men’s event in Edwardsville, Illinois. These would include one main draw singles wild card, two qualifying singles wild cards and two main draw doubles wild cards.  Said David Lipe, tournament director for Edwardsville, “We love giving players the opportunity to show that they belong in our tournament and we love having events that create buzz in the community. We’ve been doing play-ins for ten years now. It extends the tournament beyond just its one week and helps get the community excited. Affording players the opportunity to compete at the highest level is a cornerstone of what we do.“

The wild card events in Vero Beach can be described and seen here: “The Best “Wild Card” Tennis Tournament In The World” https://youtu.be/Pmb49avrsQQ and here: “Vero Beach’s ‘King of the Hill’ – One of the USA’s Best Local Tennis Events” https://youtu.be/CfXUdD63BZg and here “Sea Oaks Mardy Fish “Wild Card” Tournament Final Video” https://youtu.be/LPrjyMuKvl8 and a discussion here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k2IAlB3juo

USTA Officially Awards U.S. Open Wild Cards To NCAA Champs Ethan Quinn, Crawley/Tanguilig

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The USTA officially announced that NCAA men’s singles champion Ethan Quinn of Georgia and women’s doubles champions Fiona Crawley and Carson Tanguilig of UNC will receive main draw wild cards into those respective competitions at the 2023 US Open.

Quinn, 19, of Fresno, Calif., defeated Michigan’s Ondrej Styler, 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-2, in the men’s singles final after saving four match points. (as you can read about here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22002 Quinn was the tournament’s No. 2 seed and the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year. In 2022, he was ranked as high as No. 14 in the world junior rankings and reached the second round of Qualifying at the US Open after receiving a wild card as the USTA Boys’ 18s singles runner-up.

Crawley and Tanguilig defeated UNC teammates Reese Brantmeier and Elizabeth Scotty in the women’s doubles final, 6-1, 2-6, [11-9]. Crawley, a 21-year-old junior from San Antonio, was the ITA’s top-ranked singles player much of the year, while Tanguilig, a 19-year-old sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., clinched victory for UNC in the NCAA women’s team championship the week prior. The duo talked about the potential to play in the U.S. Open here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22017

“These wild cards reflect the USTA’s continued commitment to supporting a pathway into pro tennis for our top-performing American collegians at the NCAA Division I level,” said USTA Player and Coach Development GM Martin Blackman. 

Georgia’s Ethan Quinn, Down Quadruple Match Point, Wins All-Time Classic NCAA Singles Final

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

They say a cat has nine lives.

How many lives does a dog have? Or a Georgia Bulldog tennis player playing in the NCAA Championships?

In the case of Georgia Bulldog Ethan Quinn, the answer is five….as in match points saved en route to winning the 2023 NCAA singles championship at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida.

Quinn pulled off one of the most incredible comebacks in the history of this event that started in 1883 when he fought his way back from being quadruple match down to dig out a 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over University of Michigan’s Ondrej Styler in the NCAA singles final.

Quinn was one point from losing the final four times when Styler served at 5-4, 40-0, meaning Styler had four straight match points including the sudden-death deuce point that is used in college tennis. Quinn fought through each opportunity, capped with a forehand mishit from Styler. Quinn, from Fresno, Calif., was able to fight to win the second-set tiebreaker and play aggressive tennis in the third set to prevail and win Georgia’s fifth NCAA singles championship.

“I was as close as I could possibly have been to winning this match,” said Styler, a senior from the Czech Republic.

The No. 2-seeded Quinn was an escape artist for his entire six-day run to the championship, saving a match point in his first round 6-7(7), 6-2, 7-5 win over Luc Fomba of TCU (at 4-5, deuce in the third set), while also winning close matches in the round of 16 against Nishesh Basvareddy of Stanford (6-3, 4-6, 7-5) and the semifinals against Chris Rodesch of Virginia (2-6, 6-2, 6-4.)

“I guess I’d already been in that situation before, so definitely … It was something I was used to, I guess,” said Quinn trying to explain how he was able to escape defeat against Styler. ” I wouldn’t say used to, but I had already seen it before. Knowing that I’ve been in that position before, I could just continue playing the way I’ve been playing. I’d been in a lot of return games early in the match, throughout the entire match.”

Quinn actually jumped to an early double-break lead at 5-2 but was unable to serve out the first set on two occasions, then lost the first set tiebreaker. Styler performed one of the great acts of sportsmanship when he gave Quinn the point for a double-break lead when facing break point down 2-4 on a call that was called out, but was clearly in.

Quinn, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman, is the fifth college freshman to win the NCAA men’s singles title, joining Jimmy Connors of UCLA (1971), John McEnroe of Stanford (1978), Cecil Mamiit of Southern Cal (1996) and Devin Britton of Ole Miss (2009).

His journey from arriving to Athens so his impressive showing at the U.S. qualifying tournament in 2022 can be read here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/21195?fbclid=IwAR33rK2F5g_O_xhe8bc43JCfOsjjhJfxXwdwpLRHgHEXV7MhjVDv-z3EU5k

Quinn joins two Georgia Bulldog greats, Mikael Pernfors and Matias Boeker, as NCAA men’s singles champions, Pernfors winning back-to-back titles in 1984 and 1985 and Boeker winning in 2001 and 2002.

Ethan Quinn, NCAA men’s singles champion from University of Georgia

UGA’s Ethan Quinn, With His “Hammer, Cannon, Beast” Forehand, Eyes College Tennis Mantle Vacated By Ben Shelton

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

On the day that reigning NCAA singles champion Ben Shelton from the University of Florida announced he was turning pro, another big-hitting teenager from the Southeastern Conference started to make more noises that he wants to be the guy to fill that void in college tennis.

Ethan Quinn is an 18-year-old from Fresno, California and red-shirt freshman at the University of Georgia, who received a wild card entry into the U.S. Open qualifying tournament by virtue of finishing as runner-up at the USTA National Boys’ 18 Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He took advantage of his opportunity and rose to this much bigger occasion by posting a first-round 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 175-ranked Ernesto Escobedo of California, who has been ranked as high as No. 67 and played in the main draw of nine Grand Slam tournaments that includes a singles victory over now world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the 2017 Australian Open.

“That’s the hammer! That’s the cannon! Unleash the beast” is how former top college player and 1993 French Open doubles champ Luke Jensen described the Quinn forehand while commentating the match for ESPNews. Quinn sets up this superlative groundstroke with his big first serve, which was consistently clocking in the mid-120s while his kick second-serve jumped so high and wide that it had a familiarity to another Georgia Bulldog, all-time great server John Isner.

After losing in the first round of the Orange Bowl junior championships in late 2021, Quinn decided to enroll at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia early in January where he trained with the Bulldog team, but not yet competing for the team and retaining his four years of eligibility so he will be able to play the NCAA Championships in Athens in his senior year in 2026. The guidance and mentorship of Bulldog head coach Manny Diaz and associate coach Jamie Hunt, the intense training and the use of the University of Georgia athletic facilities paid dividends as Quinn progressively improved his results while playing in entry-level ITF World Tennis Tour U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit events.

“All the training helped him,” said Diaz. “He has also been very competitive but he most importantly has been very disciplined and motivated. He is always wanting information and processes it very well. He’s like a sponge.”

In April, he earned his first ATP points by reaching the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF event in Bakersfield, Calif., and reached his first pro final at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships event in Vero Beach, Florida. In June, he beat the NCAA singles finalist August Holmgren from Denmark and the University of San Diego to win the $15,000 ITF event in San Diego, then in July won the $25,000 event in Champaign, Illinois, beating Ohio State standout Cannon Kingsley and USC Trojan Stefan Dostanic in the semifinals and finals, respectively. He then had his fruitful trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan where he picked up the runner-up trophy in singles, falling a tight four-set final to Learner Tien, and won the doubles title, and a main draw U.S. Open doubles wild card, with partner Nico Godsick. To boot, he earned the event’s prestigious sportsmanship award.

“The biggest thing that has impressed me this summer has been his maturity on the court and his poise and composure,” said Diaz. “He got to Georgia and really stressed how he wanted to have four full years and finish playing the NCAA Championships in Athens his senior year.  I think this summer has opened his eyes to the fact that he has an opportunity to play at the highest level and it is our job as coaches to expand our kid’s dreams. That’s what we did with John (Isner) and that’s what we do when we recruit kids. We want them to shoot for the stars and realize that there is a price to be paid. Ethan is paying that price. He has a bright future.”

Quinn went from never having an ATP ranking in April to moving on the cusp of the top 500 at No. 507. He is the No. 4 ranked American teenager behind Shelton, Zach Svajda and Martin Damm. That ranking will make him one of the top players in collegiate tennis, even before he officially hits a ball for the Georgia Bulldogs.

He has stated that his goal was to gun for Ben Shelton and Georgia’s arch rival Florida Gators for superiority in the SEC and college tennis (as he does here in his post-match interview in Vero Beach here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvW3Fl1a4jg). However, while that goal will have to be altered with Shelton now jumping to the pros, bringing NCAA team, singles and doubles titles back to Athens, Georgia will certainly be his next long-term targets.