Trey Mallory has earned praise from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington coaching staff for his hard work ethic and professional approach on the tennis court.

The 19-year-old freshman has already made a huge impact in his debut season in NCAA Division 1 tennis.

Mallory put a big feather in his cap after winning the singles title at the Bulldog Invitational at the University of Georgia this month.

He did so the hard way, having come from behind to beat Juan Martin Jalif, ranked 37th in the ITF Junior Rankings, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex to underline his potential.

“Trey has been an outstanding addition to our programme and we have been very impressed with his ability and his progress,” Mait DuBois, the UNCW head coach, told The Royal Gazette.

“We have been especially impressed with his work ethic and his ability to remain calm and confident in tough situations. He practises with a very professional attitude and is very committed to his improvement.

“If he continues to work hard and stay focused, combined with his potential, I think the sky is the limit with how far he can go.”

Mallory has made a seamless transition to this level of competition, having prepared himself well in advance for the challenge.

“The transition into college tennis was pretty smooth as I made sure I prepared myself prior to getting to the University of North Carolina in Wilmington,” he said.

“I was at the SVB Tennis Centre in Tampa working under director Pascal Collard and his team of coaches. They have a world-class facility there also, which is great for training.

“The coaches at SVB worked on my decision-making during points and helped with some minor technical changes they wanted to change in my game.

“The fitness at SVB with former New Orleans NFL player Mel Williams has also played a huge role in my transition to college tennis, as it is really intense compared to a local tournament or even a men’s UTR money tournament.

“All the players are quality players and there are no easy matches. The level is really high, as the majority of the players are former ITF juniors who were ranked really high in the world, with some of them even having professional points.”

Mallory has also gelled nicely with his colleagues at his school.

“My team-mates along with my coaches also played a huge role in making me feel at home at UNCW,” he added. “It’s a great bunch of guys who push each other constantly.

“We have a great international mix of players from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Italy, USA, New Zealand, Colombia, Spain and, of course, now Bermuda.

“My dad [Ricky Mallory] always encourages me to believe in myself and my capabilities, so winning the Georgia Bulldog Invitational event definitely makes me more confident.

“I’m starting to adapt to the level pretty nicely and it’s nice knowing I’m good enough to compete with the best.”