CSU’s Pannu, Regelado advance to ITA Oracle Cup Finals

ROME, Ga. – Playing against the top players in the country, Columbus State University men’s tennis players KP Pannu and Alvaro Regelado have reached the finals of the 2017 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Oracle Cup.

Pannu reached the singles championship match after rallying for a 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory Friday over second-seeded Thomas Grinberg of Saint Leo. Pannu entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and rolled to a 6-4, 6-4 win on Thursday.

The junior will now take on top-seeded Oliver Frank of Azusa Pacific on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The winner will be automatically entered in the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, where they will compete in the same tournament as the nation’s top Division I players. The national championships take place Nov. 1-5, in Palm Desert, California.

Pannu wasn’t done on Friday with the singles victory, however. He and Regelado paired together for their second doubles win in as many days, downing the duo from Edinboro 6-4, 6-1. The pair advanced on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

It will be Columbus State and Azusa Pacific in the doubles final as well, as the Cougars meet Oliver Frank and Christian Schmid at 1:30 p.m. Like in singles, the winner will head to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships.

Both of Saturday’s finals will be streamed online through Playsight here: https://playsight.com/#/livestreaming/tennis/rome-tennis-center.

Lady Cougar Beatriz Lopez also competed in the Oracle Cup, reaching the semifinal round with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on Thursday. However, the sophomore fell 7-6, 6-4 on Friday to top-seeded Hanna Volikova of Indianapolis. Lopez will play in the third-place match Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Formerly known as the Small College Nationals, the ITA Oracle Cup has history dating back to 1986, and it is the only singles and doubles national championship event for the Division II and NAIA levels. This year, more than 8,000 players took part in a total of 60 regional tournaments to gain entry into the ITA Oracle Cup field.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 4:53 PM with the headline "CSU’s Pannu, Regelado advance to ITA Oracle Cup Finals."