Fresno鈥檚 Ethan Quinn: Journey to NCAA DI men鈥檚 singles title
FRESNO, Calif. — At only 2 years old, Fresno native Ethan Quinn, picked up his first tennis racquet and ball. Although the extent of his playing was confined to his parent鈥檚 garage, it was obvious at a very early age that Ethan鈥檚 love for tennis had only just begun. At age 6, Ethan began competitively playing tennis, which led him to join Brad Stine鈥檚 academy, which continues to be his current coach today. After joining Brad鈥檚 academy here in Fresno, Ethan quickly became eager to play in competitive tournaments, especially after watching his older brother, Garrison, already competing in them. With his mother鈥檚 blessing, Ethan entered his first tournament and as he stated, 鈥渉e hasn鈥檛 really looked back.鈥�
Ethan attended San Joaquin Memorial High School, where he undoubtedly earned a spot on the varsity tennis team as a freshman and ended his first year undefeated in singles. Ethan continued to make waves in the tennis community, which caught the attention of various colleges across the country. After three years of playing for his local high school, Ethan enrolled early at the University of Georgia and red-shirted his first year. In 2022, prior to even making his collegiate debut for the Bulldogs, Ethan had already earned a wild card spot in the U.S. Open for his performances in singles and doubles at the USTA Boys鈥� National Championships, which were held in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Ethan鈥檚 competitive nature and drive at a young age led him to various tournaments all across the state. His hard work on the tennis court often meant that he missed out on other events with his friends and classmates, which at the time, was difficult for him. However, he shared that looking back, it was really just a blip in time, and he is so grateful for where his commitment to tennis has led him today as the 2023 NCAA Men鈥檚 Singles Tennis Champion.
Journey to the Championship
Ethan made his collegiate debut this past spring for the Georgia Bulldogs and closed out the season with an overall record of 34-10 and 26-7 against his ranked opponents. The freshman sensation鈥檚 success in singles, where he played in the number one spot for the team, led him to enter the NCAA tournament ranked No. 2 nationally with the ITA singles ratings.
Ethan鈥檚 first win in the NCAA Tournament, which begins with 64 singles players, was against Luc Fumba of TCU, where he finished 6-7 (7), 6-2, 7-5 against his opponent. Ethan鈥檚 first W in the tournament advanced him and 31 other singles players to the next round. In this round, Ethan faced Nathan Seggerman of North Carolina and secured the match in two sets at 6-4, 6-4. Down to the final 16, Ethan competed against Nishesh Basavereddy of Stanford and clinched a spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 win over the Cardinal. In the quarter-finals, Ethan went head-to-head with Andrew Fenty from Michigan, and in two sets at 6-4, 6-2, Ethan was on his way to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals match, Ethan faced Chris Rodesch of the University of Virginia, whose team just won the NCAA Team Championship. While Rodesch was able to assist his team to victory, his singles tournament came to an end against Ethan with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory for the Fresno native. And with that win, Ethan Quinn was on to the NCAA Men鈥檚 Singles Championship match.
The Final Match
The 2023 NCAA Men鈥檚 Singles Championship match came down to Ondrei Styler of the University of Michigan and Ethan Quinn, Georgia Bulldog, and former San Joaquin Memorial Panther. Ethan took a quick lead in the first set; however, Styler was able to break his serve, leading the two to a first set tie-break. With Styler securing the first set, he used that momentum and carried it into his second. Down 4-5 and at 0-40, Quinn was able to come back and win his next game, taking the two to 5-5. Ultimately, Ethan was able to win the second set tie-break, taking them into their third and final set. Ethan鈥檚 epic comeback in his second set made way for the energy he brought as he entered his final set. With a 6-2 victory over the Michigan player, Ethan Quinn became the 2023 Men鈥檚 Singles Champion.
Local Appreciation
Ethan, who grew up playing at our neighborhood club, Fig Garden Swim & Racquet, was honored with his win a few weeks after his championship match and guests of all ages came out to congratulate the newly awarded NCAA champ. During the celebration, Ethan proudly spoke of his time playing at the tennis club. Specifically, his experiences with a group of men, including Darren Woo, Brian Wright, Matt Quall, Sam Gibbs, Martin Ilic, and Phil King, many of whom have been playing longer than Ethan has been alive, and the competitive spirit that each of them brought to the court during an intense round of 鈥渓ive ball鈥�. Ethan joins three other Fig Garden Members who have won NCAA Tennis Championships. They include Larry Huebner – 1953 Men鈥檚 Doubles; Butch Waltz – 1973 NCAA Men鈥檚 Doubles; and Racquel Kops Jones – 2003 NCAA Women鈥檚 Doubles.
While at Fig Garden for his celebratory night, Ethan was asked the greatest advice he鈥檚 received thus far, and Ethan replied, 鈥淚 think the greatest advice I鈥檝e received from a mentor is to always keep life simple. It can relate to the tennis court or even real life. The simpler the variables within your day-to-day life, the easier it is to manage and fix them if they happen to go wrong.鈥�
We have no doubt that Ethan Quinn will go on to achieve more great things in his tennis career. Ethan has been named 2023 ITA Rookie of The Year. Next stop for him? U.S. Open later this summer!
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