While the Walmart Open was hosted by the school in Abilene at the Eager Tennis Center last weekend, the Racquet Club Invitational was hosted in Midland, Texas, causing the team to split and play in different places, but with the same goals.
The Midland Invitational was hindered by weather throughout the weekend but was a success for the Wildcats with big wins from many different players, including freshman Henry Adams who won 8-5 against players from New Mexico and Texas, and a 7-6, 6-3 upset win by sophomore Nico Agritelley over senior Srikar Alla, Rice’s No. 1 singles players and a second-team all-Conference USA selection last year.
In the womens singles, sophomore Erin Walker, senior Brittney Reed, and freshman Lucile Pothier all had wins in their first round matches before all going on to lose in their second round appearances. On the doubles side, Pothier and junior Kaysie Hermsdorf went 2-0 in doubles, reaching the quarterfinals with wins against doubles teams from New Mexico and UTA.
Back in Abilene under coach Hutton Jones, the Wildcats managed to secure five championship wins, four second place finishes and a consolation championship.
Wildcat junior Nada Marjanovic captured the both womens singles and doubles titles over the weekend, facing ACU freshman Whitney Williams both times. After a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Erika Richarme of Tarleton, Williams nearly defeated the Marjanovic in the singles finals but ended up losing 5-7, 6-4, 15-13. Williams, along with fellow freshman Carli Knezenich, then lost to Marjanovic and her partner, sophomore Ansley Boarman in the womens doubles final, 8-5.
Boarman was the winner of the flight No. 2 womens singles title after her dominant win over Maria De Camilo of Dallas Baptist University 6-0, 7-5.
In another Wildcat v. Wildcat final, freshman Paul Domanski captured the flight No. 1 mens singles title over junior Marco Bensley in the final match, 6-3, 6-3. Domanski defeated all three of his opponents in straight sets, including Southwest’s Chrys Castro, 6-4, 6-3, and Cannon Jones of DBU, 6-2, 6-2. Domanski came in fifth place in doubles while alternating partners between sophomore Andrew Hutchinson and junior Brandon McCarty winning three matches.
The open’s consolation championship was awarded to ACU freshman Brad Gleason who, after a first round loss to Jones, won against Castro, 6-3, 6-4 and Leighton Forshee of DBU, 3-6, 6-1, 10-7. Gleason teamed up with Bensley for the mens doubles, taking first place, 8-3.
McCarty finished second in flight No. 2 singles, to DBU’s Zane Nelson, 6-4, 6-4, while Hutchinson took third place over Thomas Mizera of Southwest 6-4, 4-6, 10-4.
The mens team will travel 501 miles to Las Cruces, N.M. for the New Mexico State Invitational on Friday while the women head up to Norman, Okla. for the Oklahoma Invitational.
