LAKE CHARLES, La. – Senior Santiago Serrano is the Southland Conference (SLC) Singles Champion after pulling off a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 comeback victory over the No.3 seed, Leon Nickel from Lamar (LU), at the SLC Fall Championships Sunday at Nancy Hank Tennis Center.
 
Serrano is The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team's first individual conference tournament champion in the program's 75-year history.
 
With the historic win, Serrano also earned the Southland Conference automatic bid into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Conference Masters Championships which will run from Nov. 5-8 at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.
 
Every NCAA Div. I conference receives one singles and one doubles automatic bid into the ITA Conference Masters Championships. From the championships, the four singles semifinalists will qualify for the NCAA Championships.
 
After winning the singles championship, Serrano joined fellow senior Paolo Bonaguro in a battle against Alex Flores and Alejandro Hernandez from UIW in the doubles final, but fell 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10:4).
 
Across three days of competition, Serrano played a tournament-high five matches, 12 conventional sets, and four tiebreakers which also included two super tiebreakers.
 
Singles Championship
 
Nickel won the first four games of the match en route to a 6-1 first set victory.
 
At 1-1 in the second set, Serrano forced a triple break point, securing his first break of the match on his second opportunity in the game. Serrano solidified the break, losing only one point in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead.
 
Serrano found his groove, picking up the next two games of the second set to take a 5-1 lead. The opponents traded games as Serrano earned a 6-2 second set win to force the deciding third.
 
Nickel served first in the third set, winning the opening game without dropping a point to take a 1-0 lead. Serrano responded by battling through deuce to hold serve and even the set at 1-1.
 
At 30-30 in the next game, Serrano won the point to force a break point. Nickel won the next point to force deuce. In his second try, Serrano secured the break to take a 2-1 lead.
 
In the following game, Nickel held a 40-30 advantage on Serrano's serve. With Nickel threatening to break back and even the match, Serrano staved him off to force deuce point. Serrano served out the game, winning his third straight game at deuce.
 
The pair traded games until Serrano held a 4-3 advantage. Nickel finally broke through, taking the game on his second break point to knot the set at 4-4. Nickel solidified the break in his next service game to take a 5-4 lead.
 
With his back against the wall, Serrano responded with powerful serves, winning four of five points to even the set at 5-5.
 
With Nickel serving at 5-5, he proceeded to win every point on the deuce side; however, Serrano won every point on the ad side, pushing the game to yet another deuce in the final set. Serrano pulled off the crucial break, taking a 6-5 lead in the set.
 
With newfound momentum, Serrano used another set of dominant serves to set up triple championship point. Nickel, however, fought back to 40-30. Serrano converted his third championship point to clinch the historic title, 7-5.
 
Doubles Championship
 
The Cardinals picked up an early break in the first set to take a 3-1 lead. The serving team won every game for the remainder of the set as UIW won 6-3.
 
In the second set, the Vaqueros put pressure on the Cardinals early, forcing a deuce in their first service game. The Cardinals escaped to knot the set at 1-1. However, after a quick service game, the Vaqueros broke through in the fourth game of the set to take a 3-1 lead.
 
UTRGV solidified the break after winning four of the five points in the next game to go up 4-1. The Cardinals responded with a win and a break to get back on-serve at 4-3.
 
However, the Vaqueros earned two break points before eventually securing the break at deuce to take a 5-3 lead. Four points later, the Vaqueros tied the match and forced the deciding super tiebreaker.
 
The Cardinals took the first five points and never surrendered the lead, winning the super tiebreaker 10-4.
 
Serrano's fall season will continue for the Vaqueros at the ITA Conference Masters Championships scheduled from Nov. 5-8 in Rome, Ga.
 
UTRGV Sunday Results
Singles
Championship
#4 Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) def. #3 Leon Nickel (LU), 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
 
Doubles
Championship
#4 Alex Flores/Alejandro Hernandez (UIW) def. Paolo Bonaguro/Santiago Serrano (UTRGV), 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10:4)
 
Serrano's Championship Run
Friday Quarterfinal
#4 Santiago Serrano def. Felipe Spanguola (NICH), 6-7 (7:2), 7-5, 6-4
 
Saturday Semifinal
#4 Santiago Serrano def. #1 Alejandro Hernandez (UIW), 6-2, 6-0
 
Sunday Championship
#4 Santiago Serrano def. #3 Leon Nickel (LU), 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
 
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