Men ’ s Tennis National Champ Crowned
Hugo Car dropped his racket , raised his arms and celebrated as the final shot went wide and he became a national champion in men ’ s tennis .
It was a title that Car dreamed of holding since he finished third in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament as a freshman .
And on this day in March , that dream became reality as he defeated Tyler Junior College ’ s Juan Carlos Garcia in straight sets , 6-4 , 7-5 in the final .
“ I am really happy with my match . I am really proud of myself . I achieved something really big for me ,” Car said after the match in March .
The sophomore from France became the first Eastern Florida State College Titan to win a national title at No . 1 singles and did it by being the No . 1 player in the ITA JUCO rankings all season long .
“ It was a pretty tough season , but I was consistent all season which really helped me achieve this . I am really proud of myself , I did better than last year which was one of my goals ,” Car said . “ I am glad that I am able to finish on top of the list . I started the year at No . 1 and now I have finished the year No . 1 .”
Car began with advancing to the final of the Junior College ITA Cup in the fall . From there he continued to win match after match for the Titans , leading the program to another big season as they headed into the national tournament as one of the top seeds and finished third overall as a team .
He entered the national tournament as the No . 1 seed and advanced to the finals by winning the first three of his matches in straight sets . The 7-5 win in the final was the closest set of the tournament . Car was later named to the ITA NJCAA Division I All-America singles team .
“ I could not be more excited about the way Hugo played during his entire season , culminating with him winning it all and being crowned National Champion ,” Eastern Florida State College President Jim Richey said . “ He represented Eastern Florida State College with excellence as did all of our players . I could not be more proud of Coach ( Bobby ) Cashman and our entire team for finishing in the top three in the nation .”
Car graduated from EFSC , and is attending the University of South Florida , where he plays on the USF Bulls Men ’ s Tennis Team .
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