Oct. 28, 2002
Sophomore Jesse Witten proved why he is the top-ranked player in the country Monday when he defeated Vanderbilt’s Bobby Reynolds in the finals of the 2002 Omni Hotels Region III Indoor Championships at the Hilary J. Boone Indoor Tennis Center in Lexington, Ky. He will travel to Dallas, Texas, for the National Indoor Championships, taking place Nov. 7-10.
In his morning semifinal match, Witten faced Auburn’s Rameez Junaid who is ranked 18th in the country and was the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Witten fell down a break in the second game and never recovered in that set, falling 6-3. In the second set, it was Witten who broke Junaid’s serve in the second game. Witten jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, winning the second set 6-4 and the third 6-3.
Jesse Witten goes over strategy with Assistant Coach Greg Van Emburgh |
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Witten next faced Vanderbilt’s Bobby Reynolds. Reynolds was the No. 2 seed and had advanced to the finals with a win over Tennessee’s Simon Rea, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2. Reynolds struck first in the match, breaking Witten’s serve in the first game. Witten broke right back in the second game and held serve to take the 2-1 lead. After Reynolds tied the game at two, Witten won the next four games to win the first set. The Naples, Fla., was able to go up a break in the third set and held on for the 6-2, 6-4 victory. Reynolds is currently ranked 9th in the country.
As a finalist, Reynolds also earned a berth at the National Indoor Championships.
In doubles action, Alabama’s team of Geoff Hiscox and Stephen Mitchell defeated Ben Stapp and Lee Taylor Walker from Memphis, 8-5, to grab the doubles title.
Complete results and draws can be found HERE.
Witten’s Title Run
Oct 25 – Round of 64 – def. Jason Hazley (LSU) – 6-2, 6-4
Oct. 26 – Round of 32 – def. Matthew Lockin (Vanderbilt) – 6-4, 6-2
Oct. 26 – Round of 16 – def. Pablo Martinez (Troy State) – 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3
Oct. 27 – Quarterfinals – def. 10 Mark Dietrich (Tennessee) – 6-0, 6-2
Oct. 28 – Semifinals – def. 4 Rameez Junaid (Auburn) – 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Oct. 28 – Finals – def. 2 Bobby Reynolds (Vanderbilt) – 6-2, 6-4
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