Amrik Donkena, Head Coach Tommy Valentini, and Mya Smith-Dennis
The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team filled the podiums of both the singles and doubles championships in the final day of the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional on Sunday afternoon in St. Peter, Minn. Amrik Donkena took the singles crown, while he and partner Mya Smith-Dennis captured the doubles title.
Amrik Donkena met up with St. Thomas’ Brian McCarthy in his semifinal match. Despite falling 3-6 in the opening set to McCarthy, Donkena bounced back with a 6-4 win in the second and a 6-1 victory in the third to advance to the championship. His championship opponent Fabricio Moncada of Saint John’s advanced after picking up a three-set win of his own, edging Jeff Lotz of Carthage 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4).
Donkena and Moncada battled for several hours before Amrik was able to earn the three-set victory. Donkena took the first set 7-5, yet fell in the second set when Moncada took the momentum after a 6-3 win. Donkena refused to lose in the third , making few unforced errors to take the set 6-4 and the championship 2-1. Amrik was the No. 1 overall seed entering the tournament, while Moncada was seeded 13th.
Forty-five minutes after claiming the singles crown, Amrik Donkena joined teammate Mya Smith-Dennis to face Curtis Newman and Noah Sprinkel of Coe in the championship of the doubles tournament. It took the Gustie pair a set to click – falling 6-3 in the first set. After rebounding and taking the second set 6-1, the duo was in cruise control, winning the third-set super-breaker 10-2 to claim the doubles championship.
The singles and doubles champions from this weekend’s tournament advance to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Small College Championships, which will take place at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama on October 13-16.