Picture of the UTRGV Tennis Court in Edinburg. Sebastian Espino/Vaquero Radio
For the men’s tennis team, the conference tournament delivered a historic result. Senior Santiago Serrano captured the Southland Conference singles title after a comeback to defeat No. 3 Lamar’s Leon Nickel in three sets, 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Serrano became the first individual conference tournament champion in the program’s 75-year history and earned an automatic bid to the ITA Conference Masters Championships, scheduled for Thursday to Sunday.
Serrano’s championship followed a competitive run through the tournament. He also reached the doubles final alongside senior Paolo Bonaguro, marking the first time UTRGV men’s tennis advanced to a championship match at the Southland Conference Fall Championships.
Definitely build confidence. The shows improve that we are there and we are up there in the conference. So yeah, I think it’s more, it’s confident and more trust in the pressures. Bonaguro said
UTRGV men’s tennis are using its fall tournaments to measure its progress, build confidence and prepare for the upcoming spring dual-match season. The team’s latest test came at the Southland Conference Fall Championships last month in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
With the fall season providing opportunities for individual success and team development, UTRGV will look to carry what it has learned into its remaining competitions and the spring dual-match season.
This is Sebastian Espino for Vaquero Radio.
