Freshman Fights Off 4 Match Points to Win Georgia Title

Down 6-5 in a third-set tiebreaker with four match points against her, freshman Deniz Dilek somehow found a way to win.

The University of Georgia tennis player not only saved those four match points Tuesday night. She turned the impossible moment into a 7-6 (9-7) final set victory that gave the top-ranked Bulldogs a 4-3 win over Ohio State for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

"It was the biggest comeback that I've ever made, and I think I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life," Dilek said the next day, holding the championship trophy as she returned to campus.

The drama built throughout the night in Evanston, Illinois. Playing at the number three singles spot, Dilek had cruised through the first set 6-0, then lost the second 4-6. When she served for the match at 6-5 in the third set, her opponent Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev broke her serve to force a tiebreaker.

Then things got really tense. Cisse-Ignatiev jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker. At the same moment, Ohio State won another singles match to tie the team score 3-3, making Dilek's court the deciding match.

Players and coaches from both teams crowded the court, cheering and willing their player forward. Dilek admitted she started thinking about losing, and couldn't even catch her breath to calm herself down.

But she found something inside. A big backhand made it 5-1, then a passing shot made it 5-2. After Cisse-Ignatiev earned three match points at 6-3, Dilek reeled off three straight points with powerful forehands and a drop shot winner to tie it 6-6.

Cisse-Ignatiev got one more match point at 7-6, but couldn't convert. At 8-7, Dilek chased down a drop shot and ripped a forehand winner for her first match point. On the final rally, Cisse-Ignatiev's backhand found the net, and Georgia had its championship.

Why This Inspires

Dilek's comeback shows what happens when you refuse to give up, even when the odds look impossible. Head coach Drake Bernstein had told her during the changeover to "keep believing" and play for her teammates, advice that clearly stuck.

The win means even more because this Georgia team is so young, with three players in their first season of college tennis. After losing at North Carolina earlier in the season, they could have doubted themselves. Instead, they rallied through three tough matches to claim the title.

For Dilek, who came from Ankara, Turkey, the team atmosphere of college tennis created something special she'd never experienced, even playing for her national team. Getting mobbed by her teammates after that final point captured the joy of winning together.