Men's Tennis | 7/8/2016 4:21:00 PM

STATESBORO, Ga.— Former standout student-athlete Rise Lanne captured yet another title to add to his collection— he is now the No.1 tennis player in Finland. 

Despite a tough bracket, Lanne won the Finnish National Championships after beating the No.2 seed in the tournament and a player from Ohio State, which ultimately earns him a wildcard in the main draw for a tournament later this summer. 

"It is a great accomplishment for Rise; he has been working hard all year and it is good to see he is getting the results he deserves," head coach Sander Koning said. "I am very proud of him and wish him the best going forward."

In the quarterfinal, Lanne defeated No.2 Harri Heliovaara  6-2, 6-3 to move on to beat OSU's Herkko Pollanen 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Ultimately, he downed Patrick Kaukovalta 6-1 6-1 to become champion.

For the past two years, he's come close to winning the outdoor national title in singles but fell short. Last summer, he came in third place in singles but took home the trophy for doubles. Over winter break, Lanne placed second in singles during the 2015 Indoor National Championship, the same competition he won the year previous.

Lanne, the captain of the 15-8 team last year, played an integral role in helping the team achieve the best record in nearly three decades, winning 16 of 19 singles matches at the top spot in the spring and earning a place on the Sun Belt's All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive year. He will return this fall to serve as an undergraduate student assistant for the tennis team as he finishes his degree in journalism at Georgia Southern. 

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