Minnesota’s Larson Wins Fifth Open Singles Title at USPTA Indoor Championships
MEMPHIS – For the fifth time in six years, Tony Larson won the men’s open singles division at the $5,000 United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Indoor Championships in March at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn.
Larson (Fridley, Minn.) defeated Thiago Barbosa of Glendale, Ariz., 7-6, 6-0 to win the division for the first time since winning four consecutive men’s open singles titles between 2010-2013. This year’s victory gives Larson a sixth overall singles title in all divisions in addition to his eight doubles titles in the USPTA Surface Championship series.
Ashley Murdock (Memphis) earned her first USPTA Surface Championship title by winning the women’s open singles division after a narrow 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zorana George (Cordova, Tenn.).
Paulo Barros (Winter Garden, Fla.) also added to his USPTA Surface Championship win total with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Joseph Schmulian (Memphis) in the men’s 35-and-over singles division. The four-time USPTA Men’s Open Singles Player of the Year now has seven singles titles. Barros also earned his seventh overall doubles title with partner Guillaume Gauthier (Austin, Texas) after a close 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 win over Larson and Rudy Obregon (San Antonio, Texas). The doubles title was the second for Gauthier, who won the men’s open doubles crown in 2008 at the Clay Court Championships.
Miguel Navarro (Tyler, Texas) grabbed his first indoor title in the men’s 45-and-over singles division by defeating M.J. Garnett (Collierville, Tenn.) 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. Navarro won consecutive championships in the same division at the Hard Court Championships in 2011 and 2012.
Pat Serret (Alexandria, La.) earned his first win in the Indoor Championships with a 6-2, 6-3 decision over Andrew Veal (Brentwood, Tenn.) in the men’s 55-and-over singles division final. Another veteran of the USPTA Surface Championships, Serret secured his ninth singles series title with the victory.
Members who play in the surface championships have the opportunity to play their way into the USPTA Masters Invitational at the 2015 USPTA World Conference in New Orleans. This tournament gives USPTA-certified Professionals an added opportunity to showcase their skills and earn a portion of the $15,000 prize money, which is the largest amount awarded of all the USPTA tournaments.
The next surface tournament is the USPTA Clay Court Championships at The Landings Yacht, Golf & Tennis Club in Fort Myers, Fla., April 30 - May 3, followed by the PaycheckCity.com USPTA Grass Court Championships, May 29-31, at Desert Highlands Racquet Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Entry deadline for the Clay Court Championships is April 22, and the deadline for the Grass Court Championships is May 19. Register online at www.usptaplayer.com/club/uspta-championships.
The USPTA Surface Championships are open to all USPTA-certified Professionals in good standing. To see the current rankings or learn more about ranking rules, sanctioned tournaments, and tournament regulations and requirements, go to uspta.com/tournaments. All tournaments are run through usptaplayer.com.
2015 Indoor Championships Results
Women’s open singles
Ashley Murdock (Memphis) d. Zorana George (Cordova, Tenn.) 6-3, 6-4
Men's open singles
Tony Larson (Fridley, Minn.) d. Thiago Barbosa (Glendale, Ariz.) 7-6, 6-0
Men's 35 singles
Paulo Barros (Winter Garden, Fla.) d. Joseph Schmulian (Memphis, Tenn.) 6-3, 7-6
Men’s 45 singles
Miguel Navarro (Tyler, Texas) d. M.J. Garnett (Collierville, Tenn.) 3-6, 6-3, 10-8
Men’s 55 singles
Pat Serret (Alexandria, La.) d. Andrew Veal (Brentwood, Tenn.) 6-2, 6-3
Men's open doubles
Guillaume Gauthier (Austin, Texas)/P. Barros d. Rudy Obregon (San Antonio, Texas)/T. Larson 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
Full results for the 2015 USPTA Indoor Championships on USPTAPlayer.com.