Rockets Tennis Competes in Florida - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

Rockets Tennis Competes in Florida

Sophomore Tomas Stillman's run at the USTA Futures Tournament ended on Monday afternoon at the Baywater Blue Tennis Center in Niceville, FL. Stillman advanced to the final round of the 128-player qualifying draw before suffering a 6-2, 6-3 setback to 29 year-old Sahr Timothy Kpulun of Sierra Leone. With the loss, Stillman barely missed out on qualifying for the 32-player main draw that will compete for a grand prize of $10,000.

Stillman did not lose a set until his final match with Kpulun, while three other Rockets also played exceptionally well against the professional competition.

"Tomas had an outstanding event," UT Head Coach Al Wermer said. "As with all sports, the more exposure you get to higher levels, the more you realize what you need to improve. Sooner or later, you'll run into someone who's a little stronger, tougher, faster or more experienced. That's why we came here and I'm positive this exposure will help these four guys and in turn, help our team."

With the fall schedule complete, the Rockets will shift their focus on training for their first dual-match at Purdue on Jan. 12.   

Round One Results (Friday)
Tomas Stillman def. James Arias (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Nick Wong def. Raphael Werner (SUI) 6-0, 6-1
Daisuke Suzuki (JAP) def. Ben Brocker 7-6(3), 4-6, 0-6
Grant Adams BYE

Round Two Results (Saturday)
Zachary Wilder (USA) def. Grant Adams 6-0, 6-3
Nick Wong def. Bryan McConnell (USA) 6-1, 6-2
Tomas Stillman def. Benjamin Adrian (USA) 6-1, 6-1

Round Three Results (Sunday)
Artem Baradach (BLR) def. Nick Wong 6-0, 6-4
Tomas Stillman def. Brandon Donaldson (USA) 6-4, 6-4

Round Four Results (Monday)
Sahr Timothy Kpulun (SLE) def. Tomas Stillman 6-2, 6-3