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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s tennis doubles team of seniors Paolo Bonaguro and Santiago Serrano has received a wildcard into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Conference Masters Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5-8 at Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.
Bonaguro and Serrano earned the wildcard following their runner-up finish in the doubles bracket of the Southland Conference (SLC) Fall Championships on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Serrano will compete in both the singles and doubles draws at the ITA Conference Masters Championships after winning the SLC singles title on Sunday, Oct. 25. Serrano was the first individual conference tournament champion in the program’s 75-year history.
Every NCAA Div. I conference receives one singles and one doubles automatic bid into the ITA Conference Masters Championships. To fill the 32-team bracket, select conferences receive a wildcard entry from the ITA. This fall, the SLC was selected to receive a wildcard entry for the men’s doubles bracket.
From the ITA Conference Masters Championships, the four singles semifinalists and the two doubles finalists will qualify for the NCAA Championships.
At the SLC Fall Championships, the duo defeated the No. 2-seeded team of Mikel Garmendia and Jami Savolainen from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-7 (7:4), 1-0 (10:8).
In the finals, the duo dropped a tightly contested, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10:4), match against Alex Flores and Alejandro Hernandez from UIW.
Bonaguro and Serrano’s Run at SLC Fall Championships
Semifinals
#3 Paolo Bonaguro/Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) def. #2 Mikel Garmendia/Jami Savolainen (TAMUCC), 6-3, 6-7 (7:4), 1-0 (10:8)
Championship
#4 Alex Flores/Alejandro Hernandez (UIW) def. #3 Paolo Bonaguro/Santiago Serrano (UTRGV), 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10:4)
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