Yamalapalli wins pro tennis tournament
3/6/2022 4:41:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Former Sam Houston standout Sahaja Yamalapalli became the school's first-ever professional women's tennis tournament champion over the weekend.
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She defeated players from Germany, Russia, India and Thailand to take the trophy at the Aryan Pumps-MSLTA Women's 15K ITF World Tennis Tour Event in Nagpur, India on Sunday. Yamalapalli took down No. 3 seed Emily Seibold of Germany in the finals who retired after dropping the first set 6-5.
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In the opening round, Yamalapalli easily defeated Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi of India 6-1, 6-0. She cruised past No. 4 seed Punnin Kovapitukted of Thailand in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-1 to setup a semifinals match against No. 2 seed Anna Ureke of Russia whom Yamalapalli was crushing 6-0, 3-0 before Ureke retired.
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Yamalapalli is the most decorated player in Sam Houston history. The two-time Southland Conference Player and Student-Athlete of the Year went 18-0 in dual match play, not dropping a single set at No. 1 singles in leading the Bearkats to their first Division I conference championship in 2021.
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She was named the ITA Texas Region's Most Improved Senior of the Year and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the ITA Texas Region. She also became the first Bearkat to ever crack the ITA/NCAA national rankings and finished the season ranked No. 127 but reached as high as No. 109 during the spring of 2021.
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She defeated players from Germany, Russia, India and Thailand to take the trophy at the Aryan Pumps-MSLTA Women's 15K ITF World Tennis Tour Event in Nagpur, India on Sunday. Yamalapalli took down No. 3 seed Emily Seibold of Germany in the finals who retired after dropping the first set 6-5.
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In the opening round, Yamalapalli easily defeated Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi of India 6-1, 6-0. She cruised past No. 4 seed Punnin Kovapitukted of Thailand in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-1 to setup a semifinals match against No. 2 seed Anna Ureke of Russia whom Yamalapalli was crushing 6-0, 3-0 before Ureke retired.
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Yamalapalli is the most decorated player in Sam Houston history. The two-time Southland Conference Player and Student-Athlete of the Year went 18-0 in dual match play, not dropping a single set at No. 1 singles in leading the Bearkats to their first Division I conference championship in 2021.
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She was named the ITA Texas Region's Most Improved Senior of the Year and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the ITA Texas Region. She also became the first Bearkat to ever crack the ITA/NCAA national rankings and finished the season ranked No. 127 but reached as high as No. 109 during the spring of 2021.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
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