Up 4-1 in the second set of the NCAA men’s tennis singles championship, junior Marcos Giron could almost feel the title trophy in his hands.
Less than a week earlier, Giron had high hopes as his team entered the semifinal round of the NCAA team tournament against Oklahoma. Unfortunately for UCLA, its hopes of a team title turned into disappointment as the Bruins lost the match 4-2, just one game short of the title match.
Now, just two points away from winning the singles championship, Giron had a chance at redemption. But his opponent, redshirt senior Alex Sarkissian of Pepperdine, would not go down so easily, fighting off two match points that would have clinched the title for Giron.
But Giron responded with a huge return on the next serve, which Sarkissian sent straight into the net.
At that moment, a weight was lifted from Giron’s shoulders as he watched his dream become a reality. He would finally hold the NCAA championship trophy.
“I felt bad not coming through in the semis of the team event that we lost,” Giron said. “But coming through and winning the singles really means a lot.”
Giron is now the 11th NCAA singles champion in program history, and the first Bruin to win the singles title since Benjamin Kohlloeffel in 2006.
Coach Billy Martin, who won the singles title as a player for the Bruins in 1975, understands what it takes to play at the highest level and the feeling of being called champion. Giron is the second singles champion Martin has developed in his 21 years of coaching, along with Kohlloeffel.
“I think Marcos is a really well-deserving NCAA singles champion,” Martin said. “I’ve never had a player that works harder than him.”
Thompson’s early exit
Senior Clay Thompson, who entered the tournament seeded No. 1, was upset in the first round.
In the doubles tournament, Giron and freshman Mackenzie McDonald were eliminated in the round of 16 by Tennessee.
Although the Bruins did not win the team title, Giron’s singles title serves as a source of inspiration for his team to accomplish great things in the future.
McDonald, who made it to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA singles tournament, said he feels that Giron’s success is a sign of good things to come for himself and the rest of the team.
“I always felt like I was kind of following in his footsteps,” McDonald said. “I just try to chase after and keep up with him, and hopefully I can do what he just did someday.”