History was not on Paul Jubb's side.
In two previous matches against Nuno Borges of Mississippi State, the USC junior had won the first set in each contest only to watch Borges rally to win both.
But Jubb had an answer in Orlando.
Playing at the USTA national campus, the fourth-seeded Jubb faced the top-seed Borges in the NCAA men's singles final and after winning the first set 6-3, Jubb kept up the pressure in the second setting, winning a seven-point tiebreaker 7-2 to win the match and become the first Gamecock tennis player to win an NCAA individual title.
In that second and deciding set, Borges forced the tiebreaker at 6-6. Jubb would jump out to a 3-0 lead before Borges came back to make things interesting at 4-2. But Jubb would win the next three points and the national title.
For Jubb, ti was an amazing run through the bracket as he dropped just one set on his way to the title and that one set was in his semifinal match.
The native of Hull, England had a final record for 2019 of 32-4, 11-1 in SEC matches.
The victory in Orlando caps off what has already been a stellar year for Gamecock tennis. The USC women won their first SEC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. They finished the year ranked fifth in the final ITA national rankings, the best ever for the program.
Now the USC men can say 2019 was historic for that program as well given Jubb's run to a national championship.