Gomez and Segovia Set Tone at 1st Day of ITA Tournament

Kalamazoo, MI - Two Principia Men's Team members traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for the ITA Regional Tournament. This prestigious tournament invites the best players in the Central Region, and Daniel Gomez and Juan Segovia were chosen to represent the Principia Panthers.

The day started with Gomez and Segovia's round of 32 doubles match against Wabash College. The Panther duo started strong and never let up, earning the 8-3 victory over their opponents. Next came the round of 16 doubles match, which pitted Principia against a team from Washington University of St. Louis. Washington University doubles team defeated the three-seed from Kenyon in their first-round match, so the Panthers were ready for a challenging game. The Panthers slowly took over the game with a mixture of heavy ground strokes and timely lobs after being down 0-2. Their steady play caused their opponents trouble, and the Panthers eventually took over the match. They earned a hard-fought 8-3 victory over their Washington University counterparts.

Next up for Juan Segovia was singles play. Segovia had a tough draw and played the 1st seed in the tournament in his first round. While he played some great points, he could not string enough to make a dent in the score. As a result, he fell 0-6, 0-6. Segovia then moved to the back draw, where he played exceptionally well and defeated his Albion opponent 6-1, 6-1.

The four seed in the tournament, Daniel Gomez, started his singles play against an opponent from Trine University. This match was indoors, which took a little bit of adjustment for Gomez. However, after a couple of shaky games, he was able to find his rhythm and came away with the 6-3, 6-1 victory. In the round of 32, Gomez played an opponent from Rose-Hulman. Gomez was at his best in this match. Using his big forehand to dictate and his deft touch to finish points, Gomez thoroughly dominated. He finished with a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

Overall, it was a phenomenal day for the Panthers, as they won 5 out of 6 matches played. Gomez and Segovia have worked all fall for this tournament and played some of the best tennis of their Panther career. They will look to continue their excellent play tomorrow as the match progresses. 

Up Next: Saturday morning opens up with the quarterfinal doubles match against the 5th seeded Denison team at 8:30 AM EST. If Principia wins, the semifinals are at 9:30 AM EST. Daniel Gomez and Juan Segovia begin their round of 16 singles at 11:30 AM EST.