By Andrew Labovitz
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY - After four grueling days of exciting matches, champions were crowned on Sunday at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, taking place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Top-seeded Mitchell Frank (Annandale, Va.), a freshman from the University of Virginia and the reigning ITA All-American champion, faced by far his biggest challenge on Sunday, but he rose to the occasion and beat Illinois senior Dennis Nevolo (Gurnee, Ill.) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, in a match that featured thrilling baseline rallies and some dazzling net play by Nevolo. The competitors were knotted at 5-all in the final set when Frank converted on a pivotal break point to take a 6-5 lead, and from there, he needed just five points to serve out the match and win the title.
"It was a tough one today," Frank said after the match. "The third set really went back and forth, and luckily I was able to convert the break at the end of the set. He’s a great player and it’s great to get a win like that. It’s very special to win any college tournament, and it’s definitely special to win at the site at the US Open."
In the women’s final, Marta Lesniak (Poland), a senior at Southern Methodist, won the school’s first indoor title by virtue of a 7-5, 6-1, victory over University of Florida senior Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.). Lesniak trailed Mather 4-1 in the opening set before taking complete control of the match, smacking winners from both wings and also connecting on four aces.
Each doubles final went the full three sets, with the winner of the opening set ultimately losing the match in both the men’s and women’s final. Ohio State’s No. 2 seeded team of Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola fought back from a 4-6 first set deficit to defeat the No. 3 seeds from Tulsa, Ashley Watling and Clifford Marsland, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. In the women’s final, the young unseeded team of Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria of USC upset No. 3 seeds Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews of Notre Dame 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
2011 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Flushing, N.Y.
Surface: Hard-Indoor
Sunday, November 6 – RESULTS
Men’s Singles – Main Draw Final
[1] Mitchell Frank (Virginia) def. [8] Dennis Nevolo (Illinois) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
Women’s Singles – Main Draw Final
Marta Lesniak (SMU) def. Joanna Mather (Florida) 7-5, 6-1
Men’s Doubles – Main Draw Final
[2] C. Buchanan/B. Rola (Ohio State) def. [3] C. Marsland/A. Watling (Tulsa) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Women’s Doubles – Main Draw Final
K. Christian/S. Santamaria (USC) def. [3] K. Frilling/S. Mathews (Notre Dame) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3