TicketSmarter WAC Tennis Women’s and Men’s Athletes of the Week Announced
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tarleton’s women’s singles player Emma Persson and Grand Canyon’s women’s doubles team Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Players of the Week. Grand Canyon’s men’s singles player Jonathan Da Silva and men’s doubles team William Alsterback and Alfred Almasi have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Players of the Week, for the competition week ending on Feb. 14.
Persson, a freshman from Bastad, Sweden, went 2-0 in singles at the No. 2 position this past week, defeating UTSA’s Alexandra Weir 0-6 6-4 7-6(2) and Texas State’s Emily Niers 6-1 3-6 7-5. Tarleton has won four straight matches, including the last three on the road, to improve to 4-2 on the year. Persson had Tarleton’s clinching win in both matches this week, both times in the second-to-last singles match to finish. Persson has the best singles record on the team at 4-1, all at the No. 2 position and has won four straight singles matches.
Puehse, a senior from Scottsdale, Arizona, and Strombacha, a junior from Berlin, Germany, defeated UC Riverside’s Maya Youssef and Brionna Nguyen 6-0 in Position 1 to help secure Grand Canyon’s first win of the season.
Da Silva, a sophomore from Saint Barthelemy, France, went 1-1 during last week's action. Da Silva defeated UC Riverside’s Antreas Djakouris 6-1, 6-4 to help secure Grand Canyon’s first home win of the season. Da Silva lost against Cal Poly’s Noah Berry 4-6, 5-7.
Alsterback, a freshman from Stockholm, Sweden, and Almasi, a freshman from Trstice, Slovakia, defeated UC Riverside’s Ryan Huynh and Daniel Velek 6-1 in Position 2 to help secure Grand Canyon’s first home win of the season. Alsterback and Almasi went on to lose against Cal Poly’s Ben Keyser and Fernando Fonseca 3-6.
2023 TicketSmarter WAC Tennis Weekly Awards
WAC Women's Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Emma Persson, Tarleton (Feb. 15)
Martha Makantasi, Tarleton (Feb. 7)
Martha Makantasi, Tarleton (Jan. 31)
Isabelle Bahr, UTRGV (Jan. 24)
WAC Women's Tennis Doubles Players of the Week
Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha, Grand Canyon (Feb. 15)
Ximena Morales and Laure Razet, Tarleton (Feb. 7)
Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha, Grand Canyon (Jan. 31)
Isabelle Bahr and Yaiza Vazquez, UTRGV (Jan. 24)
WAC Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Jonathan Da Silva, Grand Canyon (Feb. 15)
Emilien Burnel, UTRGV (Feb. 7)
Chris Lawrance, UTRGV (Jan. 31)
Martim Marujo, Grand Canyon (Jan. 24)
WAC Men's Tennis Doubles Players of the Week
William Alsterback and Alfred Almasi, Grand Canyon (Feb. 15)
Emilien Burnel and Borna Devald, UTRGV (Jan. 24)