Mon, Oct. 4, 2010 - [Men's Tennis] - by Patricia Constantin
SHAWNEE, OKLA. (Oct. 1-2, 2010) -- Two members of the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's tennis team competed in the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional tournament on Oct. 1-2 in Shawnee, Okla. The tournament, hosted by Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU), featured players from OBU, Oklahoma Christian, Southern Nazarene, John Brown, Oklahoma Wesleyan and OLLU.
In men's singles action, OLLU's Luis Rovira was the seventh seed and finished in fifth. Rovira advanced to the second round with a bye, and completed the round with a strong win over Cameron McLendon (JBU) 6-2, 6-1. In the semifinals, Rovira was defeated by No. 2-seeded Marko Stanic (OBU) 3-6, 4-6. The loss left Rovira eager to continue polishing his game. He stated, "My conditioning is improving, and I am becoming comfortable on the court again."
Santiago Padilla finished seventh in men's singles. He moved throught the first round with a victory after a two-and-a-half-hour battle against David Nino (OKW), 7-6 (tie breaker 7-5), 6-7 (tie breaker 5-7) and 11-9. In the third round, Padilla was defeated by No. 4-seed Sergej Babic (OBU), 3-6, 3-6. Padilla improved his tennis game in a short time after the TLU tournament last month. He said, "I am pleased with my performance, and I can fell the increase in power and speed adding to my options on the court."
In men's doubles, Rovira and Santiago Padilla teamed up as the fourth seed and finished third. After a first-round bye, OLLU defeated Michael Canavan/Dario Macanovic (OBU) 8-5. In the semifinals, Rovira and Padilla were defeated by No. 1-seed Thomas VanCauter/Martin Pobosil (OC) 4-8.
Assistant Coach Dante Childs commented, "Santiago and Luis have both improved their game. They had fun and left it all on the court. We ask 110% from our athletes, and it is showing."