After competing in 36 NCAA singles matches, Florida junior Florent Diep won his first tournament championship on Monday.
Sixth-seeded Diep sealed the championship when he took down Georgia State’s Victor Valente 6-0, 6-3 on Monday to claim the 2012 USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships in Tallahassee.
Of his six matches in the regional tournament, 101st-ranked Diep won four in two sets. He won the first set five times.
Coach Bryan Shelton said Florida’s ability to stay positive and composed when faced with adversity was one of the highlights of the weekend’s action. Diep was a prime example.
Diep and Shelton said the tournament victory was fueled not by Diep’s performance in the semifinals or the finals, but by a clutch showing in the quarterfinals.
Diep faced his stiffest test against Georgia’s Hernus Pieters in the quarterfinals.
Pieters, ranked 36th nationally, won the first set against Diep on Sunday afternoon, seemingly gaining a mental edge.
“I got frustrated, but I had to step back and take it a play at a time,” Diep said of the quarterfinals match.
Diep stepped up, upsetting Pieters 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
“Everyone knows [Diep] can play at a high level,” Shelton said. “He is brilliant on the mental side of things. If he loses a point, he moves on to the next point, and if he wins a point, he will continue to do what he is doing.”
Shelton said Diep’s come-from-behind win vaults him into a leadership position.
“He is a great striker of the ball,” Shelton said. “He was making good decisions and playing smart. He is growing in confidence after six singles wins.”
As for Diep, he simply used the word “happy” to describe his feeling after the tournament win.
With the victory, Diep earned an automatic berth into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships on Nov. 8-11 in Flushing, N.Y.
Shelton said he believes Diep can continue to succeed with the same mentality he had in the quarterfinals and the entire tournament: Focusing on the next shot rather than the finish line.
