{"id":944980,"date":"2026-10-24T22:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T22:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/944980\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T22:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T22:10:12","slug":"slc-championship-bound-serrano-punches-ticket-to-singles-final-joins-bonaguro-in-doubles-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/944980\/","title":{"rendered":"SLC Championship Bound: Serrano Punches Ticket to Singles Final, Joins Bonaguro in Doubles Final"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Live Stats<\/a>
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\n Tournament Page<\/a>
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LAKE CHARLES, La. \u2013 Seniors Paolo Bonaguro<\/a> and Santiago Serrano<\/a> secured spots in both the singles and doubles finals of the Southland Conference (SLC) Fall Championships Saturday at Nancy Hank Tennis Center.
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\nThis is the first time since the SLC Fall Championships was introduced that The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s tennis program will have student-athletes in either the singles or doubles championship match.
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\nSerrano dominated in the singles semifinal, knocking off No. 1-seeded Alejandro Hernandez from UIW in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. Serrano showed poise and composure throughout the match, consistently winning crucial points in deuce or advantage situations to secure the upset.
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\nMeanwhile, in doubles, Serrano joined fellow senior Paolo Bonaguro<\/a> in an upset victory over the No. 2-seeded duo of Mikel Garmendia and Jami Savolainen from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the doubles semifinal. The match went the distance with Bonaguro and Serrano winning, 6-3, 6-7 (7:4), 1-0 (10:8).
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\nBoth Vaqueros will now compete for the first individual conference tournament championship in the program’s 75-year history. The SLC Fall Championships singles and doubles champions will also earn automatic berths to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Conference Masters Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5\u20138 in Rome, Ga.
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\nSingles
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\nHernandez and Serrano held serve through the opening five games before Serrano earned the first break to take a 4-2 lead. Serrano held serve to secure the break and take a 5-2 lead. Once again, facing Hernandez’s serve, Serrano broke through to clinch the set.
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\nSerrano, serving to start the second set, faced a 30-40 break point as Hernandez tried to recapture some momentum. Serrano saved break point en route to three straight points to capture the first game, 1-0.
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\nHernandez stepped up to the baseline in the second set and held a 40-30 lead before Serrano once again won a crucial point to force deuce. Serrano won back-to-back points to take the second game. Serrano then stepped up and served out the next four points to win the third game.
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\nHernandez pushed the fourth game into the third deuce of the set, but Serrano once again prevailed on the critical points to take a 4-0 lead. Serrano won eight of the final nine points in the next two games to secure the 6-0 win.
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\nIn 2025, Hernandez cruised to the SLC Fall Championship, not allowing any of his opponents to reach four games in a single set. During that run, Hernandez knocked Serrano out of the championship in the semifinal round.
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\nThis year, Serrano advances to take on the No. 3-seeded Leon Nickel from Lamar in the singles final at 10 a.m.
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\nDoubles
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\nSerrano got a few minutes of rest before the doubles semifinal in the afternoon. The teams traded breaks to reach 3-2 in the first set before UTRGV secured its second break of the match to go up 4-2. UTRGV solidified the break, winning Bonaguro’s service game to take a 5-2 lead. The Vaqueros went on to secure the first set, 6-3.
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\nGarmendia and Savolainen broke at 2-1 to take a 3-1 lead, but Serrano and Bonaguro broke back to make it 3-2 and remain on-serve. The teams traded service games until they reached 6-6 to force a deciding tiebreaker.
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\nThe Islanders took an early 3-1 lead before the Vaqueros knotted it at 3-3. However, the Islanders took four of the remaining five points to set up a deciding super tiebreaker for the third set.
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\nThe Islanders once again leapt out to a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker, but the Vaqueros worked it back to a tie at 4-4. The serves were dominant and favorable for both sides, reaching 8-8. The Vaqueros broke the tie to take a 9-8 lead. With the Islanders serving, it was UTRGV that broke through to secure the 10-8 win in the deciding super tiebreaker.
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\nThe duo of Bonaguro and Serrano will play the No. 4-seeded duo of Hernandez and Alex Flores from UIW for the doubles championship Sunday at 12 p.m.<\/p>\n

Fans can follow along through live stats<\/a> and check the tournament page<\/a> for the championship matches on Sunday.

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\nUTRGV Saturday Results

\nSingles

\nSemifinals

\n#4 Santiago Serrano<\/a> (UTRGV) def. #1 Alejandro Hernandez (UIW), 6-2, 6-0

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\nDoubles

\nSemifinals

\n#3 Paolo Bonaguro<\/a>\/Santiago Serrano<\/a> (UTRGV) def. #2 Mikel Garmendia\/Jami Savolainen (TAMUCC), 6-3, 6-7 (7:4), 1-0 (10:8)

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\nUTRGV Sunday Schedule

\nSingles

\nChampionship

\n#4 Santiago Serrano<\/a> (UTRGV) vs. #3 Leon Nickel (LU), 10 a.m.

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\nDoubles

\nChampionship

\n#3 Paolo Bonaguro<\/a>\/Serrano vs. #4 Alex Flores\/Alejandro Hernandez (UIW), 12 p.m.

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