LIMA – At a quick glance, Sunday’s finals of the Lima Area Tennis Association (LATA) City Singles Tennis Tournament looked more like a home match for the University of Northwestern Ohio’s tennis team.
In the men’s championship match, UNOH’s fifth-year senior Malik Omarkhanov and sophomore Lucas Perez squared off for the men’s title.
Omarkhanov, the 2021 Lima City Singles champion, defeated Perez in Sunday’s title match, 6-2, 6-3.
Omarkhanov, who is from Kazakhstan, navigated through the windy weather conditions Sunday, en route to defeating his teammate for the title.
Sunday’s matches were delayed for two hours, due to a storm that moved through the area.
“We both played a very good match,” Omarkhanov said. “We just both had some difficulties with the wind.
“In the first set, I couldn’t understand where the ball was going sometimes, because I hit the ball and would see the ball go right, left, right, left. I couldn’t understand what shot to take next. … That was really hard. But I found my game. Sometimes, I have to be patient. … Sometimes, I have to be aggressive. So, I just mix them together and it usually works.”
Perez, who hails from Argentina, pointed to his teammate’s approach to Sunday’s match, as one of the keys to the outcome.
“Basically, he (Omarkhanov) kept it simple,” Perez said. “I was trying to do too much. I had a plan in my head. I wanted to keep points long (longer volleys). But he did a pretty good job of just keeping it simple. Sometimes you win by being patient, and you lose by not being patient.”
UNOH head tennis coach Jeff Brown reflected on current and past players, and his philosophy for his tennis program.
“They’re not going to back down from each other, obviously,” Brown said, in reference to Omarkhanov and Perez. “These guys come in as freshmen and leave here (being) pretty darn good. So, it’s all about development. It’s about getting used to the atmosphere of college tennis. If you consistently play against good players, then you’re going to get better. You see what you need to do to improve.”
In one of Saturday’s semifinals, Omarkhanov defeated Brown 6-3, 6-4.
When Omarkhanov was asked Sunday about which win was bigger this weekend – Sunday’s championship win or Saturday’s victory over his coach in the semifinals – Omarkhanov was very quick to answer.
“Beating Coach for the second time,” Omarkhanov said with a smile.
Brown quickly responded with a grin, “He better hope that we don’t see each other (on the tennis courts) again this summer.”
In 2021, Omarkhanov defeated Brown for the Lima City Singles title in a hard-fought three-set match.
In Sunday’s women’s championship match, UNOH fifth-year senior Alizee Ripolles made quick work of Maci Doden (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 6-0, 6-0.
“She (Doden) was pretty decent,” Ripolles said. “With the wind and everything, it was difficult for both of us. I know how to play with the wind. It was probably easier for me, I think.”
Ripolles’ homeland is France.
In Sunday’s women’s consolation finals, UNOH freshman Abigail Beck defeated Jennifer Allgire 6-1, 6-0. Beck graduated from Lima Senior.
In the men’s consolation finals, Tony Mazzarella won by way of a withdraw by opponent Zarion Jones, due to an illness.
Brown said he is looking for big things from his tennis program this coming school year.
“The women’s side is coming. Next year, I’m hoping for a top 15 team (nationally) on the women’s side,” Brown said. “On the men’s side, we’re going to try making it top four and making a run at nationals again. It all depends on what they want.”
Tournament results, registration information
