Paul Jubb Wins NCAA Singles Tennis Championship

[ConwayGamecock]

Gamecock Junior Paul Jubb competed in the NCAA Men's Singles championship Saturday against top-seeded Nuno Borges of Mississippi State. Borges, a senior, came into the championship match on a 31-match win streak, and a 17-set win streak (collegiate singles tennis plays 2 out of 3 sets per match). Jubb - the 4th Seed in the Tournament, had played Borges twice before, losing both matches in three sets.

Today, Jubb prevented the match with Borges from being the third straight match to go three sets, by storming the 2nd-set tiebreak 7-2 to win in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), to win the first singles tennis championship for either men's or women's programs at South Carolina! By winning the singles title today, Jubb includes his name with such past winners as Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe.

Well done, Paul!!

 

[FeatheredCock]

Congrats ​

 

[ShepCock]

A bright spot in an otherwise drab year!

 

[ShepCock]

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 Ethan Lam / The Daily Gamecock



Jubb looks back on season, national championship


By SILVIA RAMIREZ

 | 06/02/2019 | 5:27pm
 South Carolina is home to a national championship, and more specifically, Paul Jubb — the man behind the growing success of the Gamecocks men’s tennis program, thanks to his latest victory that gave South Carolina its first national champion in men's tennis. 



“It was just surreal,” Jubb said. “I said (to Goffi) we did it. And all the emotions came out of me, and I thanked him for taking a chance and recruiting me and allowing me to come here, and I was just so happy," Jubb told The State. 

Jubb is from Hull, England and came to Columbia as a freshman for the 2016-17 season. Jubb immediately set records as a freshman at South Carolina. He has won the fifth-most SEC single matches in program history and has the third-highest SEC singles winning percentage. 

Jubb held a 32-4 record this past season, including an 11-1 record in SEC play, which helped him land a spot in the NCAA tournament. 

Jubb advanced all the way to the men's singles national championship, where he faced off against Nuno Borges of Mississippi State. Borges had a career overall record of 89-21, while also boasting an SEC record of 27-8. 

Jubb was ahead in the first and second set 2-0, but Borges eventually tied the game. However, Jubb persisted and came out victorious, winning the match 6-3, 7-6. This win was the first time that a South Carolina men's tennis player was crowned a national champion. 

Jubb had the last swing and fell to the ground, covered his face with his hands and screamed in excitement.

“Unbelievable, I think just overcoming the mental part of today, and just believing I could win after losing two times already this season. I think that was the biggest part, but yeah it feels unbelievable,” Jubb told Gamecocks Online.

Jubb is not resting after claiming the school's first national champion title, however. He plans to go back home for the summer to improve even more as he looks towards becoming a professional player. 

“Just gotta plan and schedule, and see what tournaments I can play and stuff," Jubb told Gamecocks Online. "Definitely looking to play on the pro sector."

Jubb is already preparing himself for the next season and will continue to strive as a player as he defends his title as the men's singles national champion.

 

[ShepCock]

And now he gets to play at Wimbledon!  As the 431st ranked player in the world, no less.

https://www.wltx.com/article/sports/ncaa/usc-gamecocks/usc-tennis-player-19-debuts-at-wimbledon/101-420b02e4-895b-429e-bf4c-5f0b46ecc234

 

[ShepCock]

USC's Paul Jubb Comes Up Short In Wimbledon Debut
NCAA Champion Paul Jubb returned to his home country to compete on the biggest stage. He avoided a sweep in a valiant effort in his first match at Wimbledon
By USC Athletics - July 2, 2019

LONDON, UK — LONDON-- One of three teenagers in the Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles Main Draw, South Carolina rising senior Paul Jubb fell to No. 69 Joao Sousa 0-6, 3-6, 7-6 (8), 1-6 on Friday. On the biggest stage in tennis, Jubb, who is ranked No. 431 in the world, shook off early nerves in his homecountry's premier event to push his opponent to four sets with a gutsy third-set tiebreak victory.

"The few weeks before this and as well as this gave me a lot of confidence going forward," Jubb said after the match. "I definitely feel like I belong at this level and can win at this level. It's just tough to jump from one level to the other straight away. The more I play at this level, the more I'll be able to manage the matches because once you give these guys an inch it's not easy to get back in. There's very little margin at this level. But, I definitely gained a lot of confidence in the weeks leading up to this, and there are a lot of positives to take from this as well."

After dropping the first set to the veteran Sousa, Jubb found his confidence in the second, picking up three games in the set to set the stage for his powerful third set.

The 19-year-old Hull, England, native jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead with his first service break in the match. The two traded breaks throughout the set as Jubb would not relent. In the tiebreak, the reigning NCAA Singles Champion struck first to go up a mini-break and continued to pressure Sousa.

After yielding his first set point at 7-6, he fought off match point at 7-8. A powerful serve into the body for a winner put Jubb up 9-8 to put set point back on Sousa's serve. The long rally went Jubb's way as a series of forehands drove Sousa deep behind the court and delivered the 7-6 (8) victory.

Jubb is the fourth Gamecock to play in Wimbledon and the third to earn a spot in the singles main draw. He will be back at the All England Club for his doubles match on Wednesday afternoon.

After winning the NCAA Singles Championship on May 25, Jubb played in four grass court tournaments leading up to Wimbledon, during which he notched wins over four ATP top-160 opponents, including the 78th-ranked player in the world to advance to the main draw of an ATP 250 event for the first time in his career.

"My main focus [today] was trying to bring what I normally do well to the court," Jubb said. "I don't feel like I was able to do that, which is the disappointing part. I competed well, but I would have liked to trouble [Sousa] a bit more. After doubles, I'm, for sure, going to take a week or two off to rest the body, because it really needs resting. Playing five or six weeks in a row isn't easy. I'll take a little break and then get back to it."