University of Georgia Athletics
Quinn Continues To Shine On Biggest Stage
May 13, 2023 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Ethan Quinn is many things. He's a redshirt freshman on the Georgia men's tennis team, he's the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA singles tournament, and he's capable of hitting shots that echo through the Dan Magill Tennis Complex like thunder.
He's also a showman. And boy did he put on a show Saturday against Harvard's Harris Walker.
"Definitely one of my best days ripping my forehand," Quinn said.
On a day when Quinn was hitting big in singles and doubles during No. 6-seeded Georgia's 4-2 win over No. 11 Harvard in an NCAA Super Regional, there was one forehand that stood out from the rest. It was an inside-out blast to Walker's backhand side that never had a chance of being returned.
Of the 3,072 folks packed inside Henry Feild Stadium, many were oohing and aahing after the ball blew past Walker.
"He hits it that hard every day in practice, so we're used to that," Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz said after the Bulldogs advanced to next week's NCAA quarterfinals in Lake Nona, Fla., where they will face No. 3 Ohio State on Thursday.
Quinn's boomer past the No. 37-ranked Walker made in 40-15 on his serve deep in the second set, with the team score tied 2-2. He bombed an ace on the next point for a 5-1 lead, and closed out a very well played — on a day when the Bulldogs (23-6) had to play very well to beat the Crimson (21-6) — 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 win soon after.
Playing in front of the biggest crowd he's seen at Georgia, Quinn was a bit nervous at the start and was "trying to play too much for the crowd," he said. After that, he got dialed in and delivered quite a show.
"I was a little bit hesitant going at the ball (at the beginning), but once I found my groove, found my momentum, I was able to just swing freely," he said. "And with the big crowd being out there, I want to show a little bit. I was feeling confident, so I just kept going for it."
Among those impressed by Quinn's performance and abilities was one of Georgia's first two All-Americans, Danny Birchmore, who earned the honor along with Norman Holmes in 1971. Birchmore was an All-American again in 1972. After Georgia's win Saturday, Birchmore said Quinn played like a 30-year-old.
Quinn has already earned ITA All-American honors this season by being the No. 2 seed in the NCAA singles tournament, and he and fifth-year senior Trent Bryde, the No. 4 seeds in the NCAA doubles draw, are All-Americans in doubles, as well.
A year ago, Quinn redshirted after enrolling at Georgia in January 2022. He could only watch as the 2022 team comprised mostly of the same Bulldogs on the roster this spring fell in the second round of the NCAA tournament. But this is a different team with Quinn on the court playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
It's also different because fifth-year senior Teodor Giusca transferred from Clemson and has been a valuable contributor throughout the season, including a 6-4, 6-0 win over Valdemar Pape at No. 6 singles on Saturday.
The only non-fifth-year senior in the singles lineup besides Quinn is sophomore Miguel Perez Peña. After an up-and-down freshman season, Peña is a year older, has a year of strength and conditioning work making a difference in his game, and he's playing with loads of confidence.
On Saturday, Peña delivered the clinching win at No. 5 singles, fighting off a couple of set points in the first set and beating Steven Sun, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
As it turned out, Georgia led 3-2 when Peña and fifth-year senior Blake Croyder at No. 4 singles had match points at the exact same time. Peña was serving in his match, Croyder was returning in his, and Peña hit a service winner to clinch the victory and send Georgia on to the NCAA quarters for the 27th time in Diaz's 35 seasons as head coach.
Peña said at 4-4 in the second set, with Croyder battling to close out his match, he realized he had a shot at the clinching victory.
"I broke, and then on the last game, I was trying to race Blake," he said after his ninth win in his last 11 completed matches.
"At the end of the day, I closed the match, but I would have been as happy if Blake had closed it out. Just happy for the team. It was fun to run to him at the end of the match as well."
It has been quite a past 12 months for Quinn. At the U.S. Open in September, he practiced with Andy Murray a couple of times, won a match in the men's singles qualifying draw, and then won a match in the doubles main draw with partner Nichols Godsick.
In the fall, Quinn took the court for the Bulldogs for the first time, and won his first nine matches. In the finals of the ITA All-American, the biggest fall tournament, he beat teammate and Georgia No. 2 player Philip Henning in the finals. Quinn finished the fall ranked No. 1 in the country.
Quinn took a few lumps during the early part of the dual-match season, twice losing three matches in a row, all to quality opponents. But he's been rolling since then. In his last 16 completed matches, Quinn is 15-1. Saturday's victory was his 10th in a row.
As Quinn was being interviewed after the match, Henning decided to come over and give his assessment of his talented young teammate: "He's an absolute beast, that's all you need to know."
Yep, that sums it up nicely.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
