Aggressive Play Powers Gogineni to Edwardsville Singles Championship

EDWARDSVILLE — Vignesh Gogineni of Mason, Ohio, won the singles championship of the 15th Edwardsville Futures tennis tournament on Aug. 2 at the Edwardsville Tennis Center, defeating fifth-seeded Ozan Baris of Okenos, Mich., 6-4, 6-2 for his first professional title in his first professional final.

Gogineni, who is from outside Cincinnati, used four service breaks — two in each set — and converted after nine match points to secure the championship in the tournament presented by The EGHM Foundation.

“It was a great week,” Gogineni said in a post-match interview. “I owe it to a lot of people; a shout-out to a lot of people, family and friends, for supporting me. I couldn't have done it without them.”

Gogineni said his aggressive style helped carry him through the tournament and the final, while nerves also played a role late in the match.

“I like to be aggressive,” Gogineni said. “I like to come in, I like to suffocate my opponent like that. I like to mix the variety, and switch it up a little bit. I like to make people uncomfortable. I think I did that really well this tournament, and with the match points, that's all nerves.

"It was my first pro final today, so obviously, my first pro championship. That was in my head the entire match, and Ozan is a great player. As I've said, I've known him for many, many years, and the guy has nine lives, so it takes until the ball bounces twice on the last point, or until he misses, whatever happens. I mean, the guy's going to keep fighting; as you've seen, it took nine or 10 points just to get the job done against him.”

The title capped what Gogineni described as a strong week in Edwardsville, where he said he appreciated the atmosphere around the event.

“It’s a 10 out of 10,” Gogineni said. “It’s hard to get anything less than that one when you win. I can’t ask for much more than that.”

Gogineni said his stay in Edwardsville last year was cut short by illness, but that he was able to experience more of the community this time.

“Yeah, people are great,” Gogineni said. “The hospitality was great, the hotel I was staying at, the tournament staff is very, very nice. I was here last year, but I couldn't stay too long. I got sick, unfortunately, but it's still very, very, very heartwarming, very open, and nothing's changed from last year to this year. I'm glad I was able to stay a little bit longer and get to know a lot of people around here, but it's a great community, so thank you to the City of Edwardsville and the community of Edwardsville.”

Looking ahead, Gogineni said he plans to compete next week in the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati after receiving a wildcard.

“First of all, I'm going to look forward to these next couple of rest days,” Gogineni said. “But unfortunately, not too many, because I'm playing in the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati next week. That's home for me, so I was lucky to get a wildcard into play in one of the biggest tournaments in the world.

"It's an honor and a privilege, so I'm glad I have some momentum from this week going into next week. Regarding the long term, it's just a start. I truly decided to take tennis farther than college. So, it's been a long journey, and I know the journey's just getting started. It's going to be days in, days out of hard work, doing the right things, being with the right people. It takes a village to get this stuff done, so I just need to surround myself with the right people, continue the work I'm putting in, and be able to execute every week to do the best I can in the future.”

He also offered a final message to the host city.

“Thank you to the City of Edwardsville for hosting such a great tournament,” Gogineni said. “It wouldn't have been possible without everyone's help. I'll definitely be coming back.”

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