July 20, 2010
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech rising junior Irina Falconi has announced that she will forgo her final two seasons of eligibility and will pursue a career on the professional tennis circuit.
“This decision obviously took a lot of time before it was made,” Falconi said. “I made it a responsibility to talk to Coach [Bryan] Shelton before anything was settled. Pursuing a professional career is something that I wanted for a very long time.
“I am going to miss the College Tennis world but I really felt like I was ready to take the next step with my tennis game and go for the Pro Circuit. I’m really excited and knowing that I have a lot of support behind me just really reassures my decision.”
“Irina is a very special talent, and I am sure she will have a great professional career,” Shelton said. “We have enjoyed being a part of her development. I hope she will be able to take the confidence she has gained from being dominant at the college level and parlay it into a long and fruitful pro career. One thing for certain is that Irina will continue to make a positive impact on all those she meets.”
Last weekend, Falconi captured her fourth career professional singles title when she won the Norman Wilkerson Memorial Tournament Pro Circuit $10,000 in Atlanta.
Falconi closed out her stellar two-year career at Georgia Tech ranked No. 1 in the nation after compiling a 40-3 singles record last season and was named the 2010 Campbell’s/ITA National Player of the Year. She recorded a school-record 26 dual-match victories, including a 10-0 mark against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents on her way to being named the 2010 ACC Player of the Year. She also led her squad to the 2010 ACC Tournament title with a 4-0 record at the top spot in the lineup to earn MVP honors.
For her career, Falconi finished with 70-15 overall singles mark. She was a two-time All-American and All-ACC selection. Falconi won the 2009 ITA All-American singles title and teamed with former Yellow Jacket Amanda McDowell to capture the 2008 ITA All-American doubles title. Last winter, she represented the United States at the 2009 Master’U BNP Paribas, an international collegiate competition that was held in Poitiers, France.
-RamblinWreck.com-
