Twelve men’s qualifying matches across six courts means 12 smiling faces on Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open as players clinch their main draw berths.

One of the first to go through, 19-year-old Ethan Quinn, the 2023 NCAA Men’s Singles Champion at the University of Georgia, joined BNPParibasOpen.com for a quick walk from Stadium 4 to the player’s lawn to talk about what it meant to reach his first Masters 1000 main draw. 

“Feels incredible,” the Fresno, California native said, after defeating Italy’s Andrea Vavassori, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. “I started the year with the goal of qualifying at an ATP event in mind, I didn’t know it would be this one, so close to home, so it’s a pretty special moment.” 

Quinn credited his coaching team for helping make mid-match adjustments that got him back into the rhythm of the match. He says he put more balls in the court and thus was able to put more pressure on the No. 128-ranked Italian he went up against.

It was a raucous atmosphere out on Stadium 4 on a sunny afternoon in Tennis Paradise. The stands were packed to the gills as Quinn engineered his comeback win to book his spot in the big dance.

Having spent a year in the college ranks, the World No. 284 Quinn says he has learned to embrace the sound and fury of a passionate tennis crowd. 

“That match reminded me of Georgia a lot, even the clapping at the end – that’s what happens at Georgia. Reminds me of Athens a bunch, so it made me feel at home,” he said, as he made his way through a swath of autograph seekers, all of them holding giant-sized tennis balls.

Was that the most autographs Quinn had ever signed? 

“By far,” he said. “Fortunately, my signature is quick.”

It has been a whirlwind year for Quinn, who became the fifth Georgia Bulldog to ever win a men’s singles NCAA title last spring, as a freshman. Since then, he has turned pro and shot up the rankings, from outside the Top 500 last June to pushing the Top 250 today. 

“I probably expected it a little bit earlier, honestly,” the 6’3” Quinn said confidently. “But obviously, it comes whenever it comes.” 

Quinn has been working with American coach Brad Stine since his formative years in Fresno. He says he has been to accelerate his growth thanks to the legendary coach, who has also worked with four-time major champion Jim Courier, Top 5 talent Kevin Anderson and, most recently, American World No. 17 Tommy Paul. 

“Brad has been with me since I was about six-years-old,” he said. “He’s almost like a father to me, so having that connection is great, and obviously Tommy is such a high-level player, so getting to be around him and to see his day-to-day has obviously made me better as a player myself.” 

MORE RESULTS FROM ATP QUALIFYING

Scroll down for more on the other men who capped off their qualifying runs on Tuesday at Indian Wells.

Thiago Seyboth Wild d. Liam Broady 6-1, 6-1

Fast Fact: The Brazilian World No. 65 defeated second-seeded Daniil Medvedev in the first-round at Roland-Garros last year – he has now reached his maiden BNP Paribas main draw. 

Lukas Klein d. Zachary Zvajda 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3

Fast Fact: Klein took Alexander Zverev to five sets in the second round at this year’s Australian Open. He is making his first Masters 1000 main draw appearance. 

Shintaro Mochizuki d. Benjamin Hassan 6-4, 7-6(4)

Fast Fact: Mochizuki is a former Wimbledon Junior champion and a former junior World No. 1.

Seongchan Hong d. Sumit Nagal, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)

Fast Fact: The World No. 227 qualifies for his first ATP Masters 1000 main draw. 

Hugo Grenier d. Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-2

Fast Fact: The 27-year-old Frenchman will make his first Masters 1000 appearance on a hard court. 

Lucas Pouille d. Harold Mayot 0-6, 6-4, 6-2

Fast Fact: Former World No.10 Pouille qualified for his first Masters 1000 draw since 2022 Madrid, and his first main draw at Indian Wells since 2019. 

Denis Kudla d Emilio Nava 6-2, 6-4

Fast Fact: Kudla snapped a streak of six consecutive losses in qualifying to reach the Indian Wells main draw for the sixth time. 

Nicolas Moreno De Alboran d Jurij Rodionov 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

Fast Fact: Morena De Alboran, 26, picked up his first ATP main draw win last month at Delray Beach. The former UC Santa Barbara Gaucho is making his Masters 1000 main draw debut. 

Constant Lestienne d Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-3 

Fast Fact: Lestienne won three challenger titles in a three-month span between August and October 2023. 

David Goffin d Luca Nardi 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4 

Fast Fact: Former World No.7 Goffin owns 330 career wins and reached the semifinals at Indian Wells in 2016. 

Juncheng Shang d Facundo Bagnis 6-2 7-5

Fast Fact: 19-year-old Shang is one of two teenage men’s singles qualifiers this year, along with Quinn.