Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
The match between de Villiers and Veerepalli was filled with a fiery opposition from the get-go. The two players forced about 10 deuces as they fought for the first point of the game.
“Rikus had a big serve in that game, so I knew I had to break him. It was a good first game because we kept breaking each other up until 10 or 12 deuces,â€Â Veerepalli said.
Emotions ran high in the game. But when Veerepalli forced a double fault giving de Villiers the match point, he graciously made his way to the middle of the court to shake de Villiers̢۪ hand. De Villiers won the tournament with the final score 7-6, 6-0.
“I don’t like playing against teammates because we can get really into the match and then we have to face each other right after the match. It can get very intense,â€Â Veerepalli said.
The same intensity was seen on the faces of Leiby and Alapati when they were battling against each other for the flight B title. The match was long and intense, with the advantage shifting from Leiby to Alapati in every play. Alapati won in three sets 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
“Normally I’m tough on the court. But today I was a bit more tensed playing against my own teammate,â€Â Alapati said. “It was good tennis. Really good competition.â€Â
This is Alapati̢۪s second Bulldog Classic flight B title.
Right after their singles match, Leiby and Alapati sat beside each other on the bench as they waited for their doubles match against de Villiers and Boutillier to start. The pair had only minutes of rest before they started playing again.