LAKE CHARLES, La. – Senior
Santiago Serrano advanced to the singles semifinals of the Southland Conference (SLC) Fall Championships after clinching a marathon, three-set comeback win, 6-7 (7:2), 7-5, 6-4, in the quarterfinal round at Nancy Hank Tennis Center Friday.
In the lone match for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), the No. 4-seeded Serrano battled against
Felipe Spagnuola from Nicholls (NICH) in the quarterfinals of the singles bracket in a match that lasted just over 2:30.
Spagnuola won a back-and-forth first set that went the distance, 7-6 (7:2). Down one set, Serrano battled back to take the second in another back-and-forth affair, 7-5.
In the deciding set, the opponents continued to hold serve until Serrano broke at 3-3 to take a 4-3 advantage. Serrano served out the following game to solidify the break, 5-3. After Spagnuola held his next service game, Serrano stepped up to the baseline and served out the match, 6-4.
Serrano will now take on the reigning SLC Player of the Year and No. 1 seed
Alejandro Hernandez from UIW at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Serrano now matches his best performance at the SLC Fall Championships, reaching the semifinals of the 2025 SLC Fall Championships with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nicholls'
Colin Tavares in the quarterfinal round.
The Vaqueros will also start doubles action Saturday as Serrano pairs up with fellow senior
Paolo Bonaguro in the semifinals.
Bonaguro and Serrano entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will take on the No. 2-seeded duo of
Mikel Garmendia and
Jami Savolainen from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) Saturday at 12 p.m.
Fans can follow along through
live stats and check the
tournament page for the full results from each day of competition.
UTRGV Friday Results
Singles
Quarterfinals
#4
Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) def. Felipe Spagnuola (NICH), 6-7 (7:2), 7-5, 6-4
UTRGV Saturday Schedule
Singles
Semifinals
#4
Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) vs. #1 Alejandro Hernandez (UIW), 10 a.m.
Doubles
Semifinals
#3
Paolo Bonaguro/
Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) vs. #2 Mikel Garmendia/Jami Savolainen (TAMUCC), 12 p.m.
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