American Ben Shelton went from claiming the NCAA Singles Championship to being a Prime 40 participant within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in simply 10 months. Is Ethan Quinn subsequent?

The 19-year-old Quinn, who performed for the College of Georgia, held his nerve to avoid wasting 4 championship factors on the 2023 NCAA Singles Championship in Could and turned skilled one month later. This week, Quinn is in motion on the ATP Challenger Tour 75 occasion in Chicago, Illinois, the place he’ll face Chinese language teen Shang Juncheng within the quarter-finals Friday.

Taking part in in simply his sixth Challenger match, Quinn will proceed to see alternatives at that degree, because of the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme. He’s simply getting his profession began following a memorable 16 months in Athens, Georgia.

“There’s nothing like school tennis. There’s a lot power, and there is a lot thrill,” Quinn advised ATPTour.com not too long ago on the NCAA championships in Lake Nona, Florida. “Each single level, there’s one thing occurring. Simply that power amongst the gang, and the animosity as properly. It is fairly particular. In juniors, you do not actually hear many individuals chirping at you. And in school tennis, actually something goes. You must type of construct on that and play by means of the struggles and no matter folks could also be saying, optimistic or damaging.”

One fixed voice for Quinn has been coach Brad Stine, who has labored with gamers equivalent to Jim Courier, Kevin Anderson, Sebastien Grosjean, and Mardy Fish. Stine, who at present coaches World No. 15 Tommy Paul, is a giant motive why Quinn is the place he’s at as we speak.

“I have been with Brad since I used to be in all probability six or seven years outdated, so he is positively constructed my recreation up,” Quinn mentioned. “We at all times labored on creating my energy earlier than I used to be creating my consistency. And lots of people who watch me type of speak in regards to the stay arm that I’ve for my forehand and my serve, simply the straightforward energy that I will get. I attribute that quite a bit to Brad, plenty of instances he did not actually inform me to carry again.

“By having that urge to simply rip it and hold going for my photographs type of helped develop me get that energy that you simply want on the subsequent degree to transition. He is been in a position to type of undergo all the things that comes after the ability, consistency, the psychological, the preparation that you simply want going into matches, he provides me plenty of insights with Tommy Paul.

“He provides me plenty of tales and sends me a few of the messages that he sends to him. That type of opens my eyes to what the skilled guys should hearken to and listen to from knowledgeable coach. He is been a serious assist for me.”

From School to the Tour 🤝

With the expertise he took from School and the assist of the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, the reigning NCAA champ @ethanqu1nn has turned professional and is able to make strikes👏#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/nRnhbTTRvK

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 8, 2023

Regardless of having a famend coach in his nook at a younger age, Quinn didn’t need his life to simply be about forehands and backhands. He elected to remain at school, attending San Joaquin Memorial Excessive Faculty in Fresno, California.

“I felt like I wanted that separation from tennis and the skin world. I wished to have the skin elements that many youngsters I really feel like who do homeschool do not actually get,” Quinn mentioned. “A whole lot of the homeschooling youngsters that I’d compete towards could be taking part in for 4 or 5 hours a day. Coaching, lifting, doing their faculty on-line, however probably not having these constructed friendships.

“I felt like for me personally, I wanted the power to go see folks and hang around with folks and type of speak about issues past tennis. I really feel like once I was in a position to, I used to be taking part in my finest tennis once I was in a position to separate tennis.”

Following highschool, Quinn moved greater than 2,000 miles away from his California dwelling to play for the College of Georgia, the place he earned ITA All-American honours in singles and doubles this 12 months. Quinn completed the 2023 season on a 17-match profitable streak and put the icing on the cake when he grew to become the fifth Georgia Bulldog to win the NCAA singles championship.

Because of his exhausting work on the collegiate degree, the World No. 477 will proceed to have alternatives to compete on the ATP Challenger Tour. This season, the ATP and ITA introduced the Accelerator Programme, which goals to extend the event pathway for prime gamers within the American Collegiate system. Quinn is one in all 21 gamers who can be granted six to eight Challenger main-draw spots within the subsequent 12 months.

“I am very appreciative of them doing it,” Quinn mentioned. “After I came upon that they have been doing it with the ITA, I used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that is wonderful’. Getting that skill to type of transition into the professionals quite a bit simpler, is one thing I am very grateful for.”

Boasting a hefty serve and cracking forehand, Quinn can simply present his selection with a backhand drop shot or his deft really feel across the internet. {The teenager} can have an opportunity to show these abilities on a giant stage this summer time, when he makes his Grand Slam singles debut on the US Open. Following his school title, Quinn was rewarded with a essential draw wild card to the season’s remaining main.