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GODFREY – Championship Sunday at the Bud Simpson Open tennis tournament went according to form at Lewis and Clark Community College’s Simpson Tennis Center.
Carson Haskins of Ballwin, Mo., defeated Kris Ortega of Homer Glen, Ill., in a rematch of the Edwardsville Open men’s singles final as Haskins held off Ortega, who had rallied from 3-0 down in the second set, to take a 6-4, 6-4 win for the championship, while Principia College women’s tennis coach Shannon Gordon-Carney took the women’s singles crown over Vandalia’s Hannah Blythe, who plays at Illinois-Springfield, 6-0, 6-0.
“We had great competitors and great weather and a lot of great fans,” said tournament director James Humphrey. “We just watched a really high-quality men’s final and earlier, we had (Gordon-Carney) as a new women’s singles champion; that was a great match as well.
“We’re really wrapping up on a high note; there was a lot of great tennis (Saturday) as well – I’m very pleased. Every year, we try to bring people in and have a great tournament for them; we hope they tell their friends. We’re growing the age divisions, we’re getting more and more 55s and 45s and try to have a well-run tournament.”
Haskins’ win in the men’s singles – which he followed up with by teaming up with Ortega to take the men’s doubles title later in the day – made Haskins, who recently graduated from Parkway South in St. Louis County and will be heading to Indiana in the fall to play for the Hoosiers, very happy. “I enjoyed it; I just wanted to get a good match in and it was pretty close,” Haskins said. “We both played pretty good tennis; it was a lot of back-and-forth game-wise, but it was nice to close out that match pretty good.
“It’s been an amazing experience.”
“It’s great to be out here playing; I had an exceptional opponent in Hannah,” Gordon-Carney, who just finished her eighth year coaching the Panthers, said. “It just wasn’t her best day, but good for me. I just wanted to make sure I put all my balls in and I didn’t have to do a lot more today; I’m sure she’ll come back in a couple of weeks fired up and ready to play.”
In other results Sunday, Haskins/Ortega defeated Erik Weiler/Riley Muren 6-1, 6-2 to take the men’s doubles title; Gordon-Carney teamed with Terry McNabb to go 3-0 in the round-robin mixed doubles competition, defeating Nuran Ercal/Bobby Stierwall 6-0, 6-0 in their final match; Michael Peri defeated David Snider 6-4, 6-1 to win the men’s 45 singles title; Dennis Myers went 3-0 to take the championship in the round-robin men’s 55 singles competition, Myers defeating Dan Dafcik 6-1, 6-2 in his final match of the competition; Laura Moore took the women’s 3.5 singles bracket with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Princess Imoukhuede; and on Saturday, Callaghan Adams/Morgan Colbert won the women’s doubles crown over Gordon-Carney/Cindy Tabscott by a 6-2, 7-5 score.
2018 BUD SIMPSON OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT
SUNDAY’S RESULTS
MEN’S SINGLES – SEMIFINALS: Carson Haskins, Ballwin, Mo., def. Andy Graf, Mascoutah, 6-0, 6-1; Kris Ortega, Homer Glen, Ill., def. Mason Johnson, Hendersonville, Ky., 6-2, 6-2; FINAL: Haskins def. Ortega 6-4, 6-4
WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL: Shannon Gordon-Carney, St. Louis, def. Hannah Blythe, Vandalia, 6-0, 6-0
WOMEN’S 3.5 SINGLES FINAL: Laura Moore, Godfrey, def. Princess Imoukhuede, Champaign, 6-3, 6-4
MEN’S 45 SINGLES FINAL: Michael Peri, Lake St. Louis, Mo., def. David Snider, Collinsville, 6-4, 6-1
MEN’S 55 SINGLES (ROUND-ROBIN): Dennis Myers, Wentzville, Mo., def. Dan Datcik, Chesterfield, Mo., 6-1, 6-2; David Spitze, Belleville, def. Bobby Stierwell, Lake St. Louis, Mo., 6-3, 6-1 (Myers wins title with 3-0 record)
MEN’S DOUBLES FINAL: Carson Haskins, Ballwin, Mo./Kris Ortega, Homer Glen, Ill., def. Riley Muren, O’Fallon/Erik Weiler, Edwardsville, 6-1, 6-2
MIXED DOUBLES (ROUND-ROBIN): Shannon Gordon-Carney/Terry McNabb, both St. Louis, def. Nuran Ercal/Bobby Steirwall, both St. Louis, 6-0, 6-0; Sara Kruetztrager, Roxana/Adam Ruckman, Godfrey, def. Jesse Macias/Laura Moore, both Godfrey, 6-2, 6-3 (Gordon-Carney/McNabb win title with 3-0 record)
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