2009 SWAC Tennis Tournament Concludes
ALEXANDRIA, LA – The 2009 SWAC Tennis Championships came to a close on Sunday with the Jackson State women and Alcorn State men claiming the tournament titles.
The Lady Tigers pulled off a semifinals upset as they edged formerly undefeated Southern 4-3 to advance to the Championship match. In the finals, J-State got behind early after relinquishing the doubles point. However, Paulina Vargas won in three sets from her #1 singles position to score the first point for Jackson State. Britney Shy, Angela Rose, and Valentina Prado would all win their matches to secure the 4-2 victory for the Lady Tigers and the 2009 SWAC Women’s Tennis title.
Angela Rose, who went 3-0 from her #5 singles position for J-State, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Alcorn State breezed through Grambling State 4-0 in the semifinals round to reach the Championship match. The Braves jumped on Arkansas-Pine Bluff early in the finals, earning the doubles point in pairings one and three. The Loin’s Hugo Gomez won in three sets at the #1 singles slot to put the match at 2-1. However, the Braves won the next three matches at the two, three, and four singles position to win the match 4-1 and go home as the 2009 SWAC Men’s Tennis Champions.
Alcorn State’s Alexander Lidzar went 2-0 at the #3 singles spot and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Complete results and All-Tournament Honors are below
Women’s All-Tournament Honors: Angela Rose, Most Valuable Player (Jackson State); Tei’Isha Mixon (Alabama A&M); Katherine Hoepelman (Alcorn State); Sinovuyo Ndlabhu (Grambling State); Britney Shy (Jackson State); Melanie Brown (Prairie View A&M); Megan Wiltz (Southern)
Men’s All-Tournament Honors: Alexander Lidzar, Most Valuable Player (Alcorn State); Yanick Shearron-Hawkins (Alcorn State); Nicolas Rufyikiri (Grambling State); Vishesh Bhatia (Jackson State); Johnathan Arrington (Mississippi Valley State); Marlon Gichie (Southern); Hugo Gomez (Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
Championship – Women Jackson State def Alcorn State, 4-2 Doubles Stefania Guzman & Sarah Peters (ALCN) def Britney Shy & Paulina Vargas (JSU), 8-1 Katherine Hoepelman & Martina Garda (ALCN) def Geneva Warren & Valentina Prado (JSU), 8-2
Singles Paulina Vargas (JSU) def Stefania Guzman (ALCN), 3-6,6-4,6-4 Katherine Hoepelman (ALCN) def Geneva Warren (JSU) 6-1,6-1 Britney Shy (JSU) def Diana Favela (ALCN), 6-1,6-2 Angela Rose (JSU) def Sarah Peters (ALCN), 3-6,6-3,6-3 Valentina Prado (JSU) def Kalinina Sandoval (ALCN), 6-4,6-3
Semifinals – Women Jackson State def Southern, 4-3 Doubles Megan Wiltz & Kathryn Curtis (SU) def Britney Shy & Paulina Vargas (JSU), 8-3 Asha Saravana Mohan & Angela Rose (JSU) def Gabrielle Marshall & Bethlehem Workeneh (SU), 8-6 Valentina Prado & Geneva Warren (JSU) – win by default
Singles Megan Wiltz (SU) def Paulina Vargas (JSU), 6-2,6-2 Kathryn Curtis (SU) def Geneva Warren (JSU), 6-0,6-0 Asha Saravana Mohan (JSU) def Janelle Mosley (SU), 1-6,6-2,6-2 Bethlehem Workeneh (SU) def Britney Shy (JSU), 6-3,6-4 Angela Rose (JSU) def Gabrielle Marshall (SU), 2-6,7-6 (4),6-1 Valentina Prado (JSU) .- win by default
Semifinals – Women Alcorn State def Grambling State, 4-0 Doubles Stefania Guzman & Sarah Peters (ALCN) def Maia Semerdjieva & Malaina Davis (GSU), 8-3 Katherine Hoepelman & Martina Garda (ALCN) def Jorden Shaw & Marqueita Maynard (GSU), 8-4
Singles Stefania Guzman (ALCN) def Maia Semerdjieva (GSU), 6-0,6-1 Katherine Hoepelman (ALCN) def Nolukhanyo Ndlabhu (GSU), 6-0,6-3 Diana Favela (ALCN) def Malaina Davis (GSU), 6-1,6-0
Championship – Men Alcorn State def Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 4-1 Doubles Winfried Weinbeer & Pushpendra Rajpurouit (ALCN) def Alex Connolly & Jorge Villacis (UAPB), 8-2 Yanick Shearron-Hawkins & Alejandro Dominguez (ALCN) def Andres Rio Burno & Bruno Hurtado (UAPB), 8-3
Singles Hugo Gomez (UAPB) def Anton Krutkin (ALCN), 3-6,6-2,6-1 Winfried Weinbeer (ALCN) def Jorge Villacis (UAPB), 6-1,6-4 Alexander Lidzar (ALCN) def Andres Rio Bruno (UAPB), 2-6,6-3,6-4 Yanick Shearron-Hawkins (ALCN) def Eduardo Luque (UAPB), 6-4,3-6,6-4
Semifinals – Men Alcorn State def Grambling State, 4-0 Doubles Alexander Lidzar & Anton Krutkin (ALCN) def Anton Belikov & Emmanuel Fortune (GSU), 8-3 Yanick Shearron-Hawkins & Alejandro Dominquez (ALCN) def Ryan Charles & Victor Semerdjiev (GSU), 8-1
Singles Anton Krutkin (ALCN) def Nicolas Rufyikiri (GSU), 6-4,6-4 Alexander Lidzar (ALCN) def Anton Belikov (GSU), 6-4,6-3 Yanick Shearron-Hawkins (ALCN) def Ryan Charles (GSU), 6-2,6-4
Semifinals – Men Arkansas-Pine Bluff def Jackson State, 4-1 Doubles Vishesh Bhatia & Nicolas Crawford (JSU) def Jorge Villacis & Alex Connolly (UAPB), 8-1 Hugo Gomez & Eduardo Luque (UAPB) def Arturo Jimenez & Jiman Nelson (JSU), 8-1 Bruno Hurtado & Andres Rio Bruno (UAPB) def Sergio Salinas & Patrick Steele (JSU), 8-0
Singles Hugo Gomez (UAPB) def Jiman Nelson (JSU), 6-0,6-0 Vishesh Bhatia (JSU) def Jorge Villacis (UAPB), 6-3,6-3 Eduardo Luque (UAPB) def Sergio Salinas (JSU), 6-0,6-0 Alex Connolly (UAPB) def Patrick Steele (JSU), 6-1,6-0
