NJCAA Division I National Championships in Plano, Texas
Eastern Florida State College men’s tennis player Pablo Garcia will play for a national title on Thursday morning. (EFSC Image)
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Eastern Florida State College men’s tennis player Pablo Garcia will play for a national title on Thursday morning.
The sophomore defeated No. 2 seed Ander Huelamo in straight sets in one of the semifinals at No. 4 singles on Wednesday at the NJCAA Division I National Championships in Plano, Texas.
“It was a tough match, I am playing well and am looking forward to playing in the final,” Garcia said.
Up 4-2, Garcia finished off the first set to win 6-2 and then dominated the second set to post the 6-0 win to advance to the final.
Garcia will face No. 1 seed Kenta Kawada from Pratt Community College, who advanced by defeating No. 4 seed Wojciech Biela 6-1, 7-6 in the other semifinal.
“Pablo has been highly efficient on his path to the final, winning both matches in straight sets and totaling 24 games won to only eight conceded, which is impressive,” Eastern Florida State College men’s tennis coach Nick Rosatti said.
His physical and emotional efficiency has put him in a great position to be fresh for the finals. It’s exciting to see one of our guys win multiple ‘upsets’ in a row, and we’re going to give it all to hopefully make it a perfect 3-for-3.”
Garcia came into the tournament as the No. 6 seed and after a bye, defeated the No. 3 seed Luka Van Geel in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-4 before beating No. 2 seed Huelamo on Wednesday.
The final will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday at Collin College in Texas. Garcia will become just the sixth Eastern Florida State College singles player to make the national tournament final.
Hugo Car won the national title at No. 1 singles in 2024.
