ATLANTA--The Georgia State
men's tennis team wrapped up a successful fall season and begins preparations
for the start of its 2012-13 spring campaign beginning on Jan. 11 in Tuscaloosa,
Ala.
Senior
Victor Valente led the team this fall with a breakthrough performance at the
ITA Regional Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. Valente defeated two
nationally-ranked opponents in his run to the finals, including No. 84-ranked
Michael Alford (Florida) in the first round and No. 30-ranked Juan Spir
(Georgia Tech) in the semifinals. Valente's run at the ITA Regional
Championships earned him a spot at the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor
Championships in Flushing, N.Y. where the top 32 singles players in the country
compete for the prestigious indoor title. He battled the No. 1 player in the
country, Henrique Cunha (Duke), and another nationally-ranked opponent before
his stellar fall season finally came to a close.
Senior
Lucas Santa Ana earned a 9-1 singles record across three different tournaments
this fall. He kicked-off his fall slate by taking the White Draw singles title
at the Georgia Southern Championships from Oct. 5-7. Santa Ana defeated four
opponents en route to the title to cap a dominating effort from the Georgia
State men's tennis team. GSU won 21 matches on the weekend with Valente taking
home the Blue Draw singles crown. The tandem of junior Robert Schulze and
sophomore Sofiane Chevallier defeated Santa Ana and Valente in the finals to
earn the Main Draw doubles title.
Chevallier
followed that with a heroic performance at the ITA Regionals the following weekend.
He earned a spot in the singles main draw by winning two qualifying matches
against competition from UCF and Miami. He then went on to win two more
matches, one a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Sean Bacha (UNF) and another was a 7-5,
6-0 win against Luke Johnson (Florida).
Santa
Ana and junior Thomas Cook represented Georgia State well at the Carolinas
Invitational hosted by Winthrop University from Nov. 2-4. Santa Ana won the
singles title in the Division I draw with four victories on the weekend,
including a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win in the finals against South
Carolina's Harry Menzies. Cook won two singles matches and paired with Santa
Ana to claim the Division II doubles title.
The
Georgia State men's tennis team kicks-off its spring season on Jan. 11 when it
travels to the Crimson Tide Indoor Invite hosted by the University of Alabama.
The tournament will record individual results only as the Panthers will begin
their dual-match play on Jan. 18 at Chattanooga. Visit the men's tennis page on
GeorgiaStateSports.com for all updates throughout the offseason.
www.GeorgiaStateSports.com
