LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV's Zita Kovacs needed three sets but won Flight Two in singles play to close out the Rebels' efforts Sunday in the Watanabe Classic at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
 
Joining UNLV in the lineup were competitors from Iowa, Utah, Texas Tech, Long Beach State, Grand Canyon and Dixie State. The event also marked the end of the fall season for the Rebels.
 
Kovacs downed Texas Tech's Tomi Main, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4. In Flight Four, with two Rebels scheduled to face each other in the final, opponents were changed and Cindy Hu downed Iowa's Vipasha Mehra, 6-3, 6-3 while Salsa Aher raced past Dixie State's Alysha Damron, 6-0, 6-1. In Flight Five, Coco Zhao won the final, 6-2, 6-2 over Grand Canyon's Sara Rakim.
 
The annual fall invitational was renamed this year to honor former tennis great Jolene Watanabe, who put the UNLV women's program on the map three decades ago and passed away in 2019 after a battle with cancer at the age of 50.
 
"It was an honor hosting the inaugural Watanbe Classic this weekend," said head coach Kevin Cory. "Winning three of five singles flights was nice to see when we are competing against strong competition and with one of our top players out. Overall, we feel good about how the fall went and are looking forward to getting going in the spring."
 
UNLV will return to the courts in mid-January to host the annual Freeman Memorial tournament.
 
TEAMS
UNLV
Iowa
Utah
Grand Canyon (GCU)
Long Beach State (LBSU)
Texas Tech (TTU)
Dixie State (DSU)
 
JOLENE WATANABE CLASSIC
Nov. 13 2021
At Fertitta Tennis Complex, Las Vegas 
 
FLIGHT ONE SINGLES
FINAL: Natasha Puehse (GCU) def. Cristina Tiglea (TTU) 6-4, 7-5
THIRD PLACE: Bojana Marinkov (TTU) def. Izumi Asano (UNLV) 6-0, 6-0
FIFTH PLACE: Anastasia Goncharova (UTAH) def. Zara Lennon (LBSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
SEVENTH PLACE: Barbora Pokorna (IOWA) def. Ya-Chi Hsu (DSU) 6-0, 6-1
 
FLIGHT TWO SINGLES
FINAL: Zita Kovacs (UNLV) def. Tomi Main (TTU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
THIRD PLACE: Michelle Bacalla (IOWA) def. Fabienne Schmidt (GCU) 6-2, 6-1
FIFTH PLACE: Nikola Homolkova (LBSU) def. Madeline Lamoreaux (UTAH) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
SEVENTH PLACE: Sheena Masuda (LBSU) def. Alex Hildreth (DSU) 6-4, 6-0
 
FLIGHT THREE SINGLES
FINAL: Santa Strombacha (GCU) def. Claire Le Du (LBSU) 7-5, 6-3
THIRD PLACE: Camryn Stepp (TTU) def. Aura Fang (UNLV) 6-3, 6-3
FIFTH PLACE: Samantha Gillas (IOWA) def. Rachel Mellor (DSU) 6-2, 6-2
 
FLIGHT FOUR SINGLES
FINAL*: Cindy Hu (UNLV) def. Vipasha Mehra (IOWA) 6-3, 6-3
THIRD PLACE*: Salsa Aher (UNLV) def. Alysha Damron (DSU) 6-0, 6-1
FIFTH PLACE: Autumn Prudhomme (GCU) def. Andreea Ciornei (LBSU) 6-3, 6-2
SEVENTH PLACE: Valentina Del Marco (GCU) def. Zuzanna Szczepanska (LBSU) 6-4, 6-3
*Aher moved to play Damron instead of facing teammate Hu in Final
 
FLIGHT FIVE SINGLES
FINAL: Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Sara Rakim (GCU) 6-2, 6-2
THIRD PLACE: Aline Buhr (GCU) def. Jane Dorny (DSU) 6-4, 6-3
 
FLIGHT ONE DOUBLES
FINAL: Natasha Puehse/Santa Strombacha (GCU) def. Samantha Horwood/Anastasia Goncharova (UTAH) 6-4
THIRD PLACE: Izumi Asano/Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Masuda/Homolkova (LBSU) 6-0
FIFTH PLACE: Zara Lennon/Zuzanna Szczepanska (LBSU) def. Cristina Tiglea/Tomi Main (TTU) 6-4
SEVENTH PLACE: Samantha Gillas/Vipasha Mehra (IOWA) def. Rachel Mellor/Alexandra Hildreth (DSU) 6-1
 
FLIGHT TWO DOUBLES
FINAL: Bojana Marinkov/Carmryn Stepp (TTU) def. Zita Kovacs/Aura Fang (UNLV) 6-2
THIRD PLACE: Cindy Hu/Salasa Aher (UNLV) def. Fabienne Schmidt/Autum Prudhomme (GCU) 6-4
FIFTH PLACE: Barbara Pokorna/Michelle Bacalla (IOWA) def. Claire Le Du/Andreea Ciornei (LBSU) 6-2
SEVENTH PLACE: Valentina Del Marco/Sara Rakim (GCU) def. Alysha Damron/Jane Dorny (DSU) 7-5