Americans swept the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s singles national championships for the first time since 2017, as Florida’s Sam Riffice and Virginia’s Emma Navarro both won titles on Friday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
Riffice, the No. 6 seed, knocked off No. 2 seed Daniel Rodrigues of South Carolina 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, while Navarro, the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 2 seed and defending national champion Estela Perez-Somarriba of Miami (FL), 6-3, 6-1. The defeat ended an incredible college tennis career for Perez-Somarriba, who finished tied for the most all-time NCAA tournament wins with 17.
The women’s doubles title also went to a pair of Americans, as North Carolina’s Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty prevailed over Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun of Texas, 7-6(3), 4-6, [10-8].
The 2021 NCAA DI Tennis Championships came to a close with a tight men’s doubles final, as Tennessee’s Adam Walton and Pat Harper won a thriller, beating Auburn’s Tad Maclean and Finn Murgett, 7-6(5), 2-6, [13-11].
