GODFREY – The third time was a charm for American Daniel Nguyen who won the 17th Annual Lewis and Clark Community College Men’s Pro Tennis Classic Sunday in front of a large crowd at the Andy Simpson Tennis Complex.

After three years of competing in the L&C USTA Futures tournament, No. 8 Nguyen received the championship medal when he defeated last week’s Tulsa Futures winner American Mitchell Frank 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(2).

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“We both wanted to win and I just kept battling,” Nguyen said.

“It was a very mental and physical game, and he is a great opponent. I’ve played him in college before and this is the first time I have beat him in a match. It just happened to be a Futures final. I’m very happy with the win.”

Frank had an early lead of 3-0 in the first set, but Nguyen battled back and won the next three games. Nguyen eventually dropped the first set 3-6 to Frank.

Nguyen was up 5-1 at one point in the second set. Although Frank came back strong, it was too little to late with Nguyen posting the 6-2 win.

In the third, Nguyen seemed determined starting at 2-0, but Frank took a 5-3 lead before Nguyen came back to tie the last set.

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After nearly three hours on court, Nguyen and Frank battled for every point in a tiebreak that led to Nguyen’s win.

“We both really wanted this win,” said Frank after the match. “It was a real battle until the very end. I gave everything I had and I feel like I played well.”

A former standout University of Southern California player, Nguyen won two consecutive ITF Futures singles titles in Seoul in 2013. He has a world ranking of No. 580.

Frank is a University of Virginia junior who was recently ranked No. 10 by the NCAA and holds a world ranking of No. 838.

To view and download photos from the tournament, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/lewisandclarkcc.

Caption: Daniel Nguyen won the championship of the Lewis and Clark Community College Men's Pro Tennis Classic on Sunday, July 27, 2014. He defeated Mitchell Frank 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2). Photo by S. Paige Allen, Lewis and Clark Community College photographer.

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