No. 1's prevail at TVOC

Top seeds Julio Peralta and Dianne Hollands lived up to their billing in their IcyHot Tennessee Valley Open Championships debuts this weekend at the Manker Patten Tennis Club.

Both beat the second seeds in the open singles finals Sunday morning, Peralta by a 6-4, 6-0 score over 2008 TVOC champion Robbye Poole and Hollands with a 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2 defeat of University of Mississippi player Karen Nijssen.

Both singles runners-up later got championships as top seeds with Matthias Wellermann, a 6-foot-7 former Ole Miss teammate of Poole. Wellermann and Poole came back from a first-set loss to defeat Chattanooga's Bo Seal and North Carolinian Ryan Noble 4-6, 6-1, 10-5, and Wellermann and Nijssen then downed Kenneth Griffin and Ashley Murdock for the mixed open doubles title, 6-3, 7-6.

Nijssen, who said Saturday that she came to the TVOC just "to play some matches," certainly did that. She was in three finals Sunday, losing 6-1, 6-2 with Ole Miss teammate Mimi Renaudin in women's doubles against Claire Bartlett of Chattanooga and Cameron Hubbs of Omaha, Neb. At least it was a pleasantly overcast day for the Netherlands native.

"I played the most matches I could've played, which was good, and it was good to end with a victory, definitely," Nijssen said.

Hubbs plays for Ohio State and Bartlett was sporting a Florida visor to signify her recent transfer from Virginia.

"This was good," Bartlett said after their win. "Cami came down here from Columbus to play with me, and it was fun to be out here on the final day. I'm not as happy with my singles game as usual, but it was great to win a championship in some division."

The two met in juniors competition a few years ago -- fussing over line calls in their first meeting, Hubbs recalled, but chatting afterward and hitting it off.

"Three years ago we played in a Junior ITF tournament at the University of Illinois," Hubbs said. "I saw the list of players and Claire was the only one I knew, so I called her and asked if she wanted to play doubles with me. We've been doubles partners ever since."

Hubbs played with Bartlett in the TVOC two years ago but couldn't come last year, when Ohio State was still in school.

Peralta downplayed his success in the tournament, even after Poole managed only seven points in the quick second set Sunday.

"It was OK, nothing special," said the 27-year-old USC Spartanburg volunteer coach from Santiago, Chile, who was ranked in the top 30 in the world as an under-18 player and was as high as 212 in the ATP rankings before a bout with hepatitis and a string of injuries.

Peralta is headed to Michigan and then to Europe for tournaments, he said.

"I think he's the best player we've ever had here at the TVOC," said Wes Cash, who hosted Peralta and Will Boe-Wiegaard in his home during the tournament. "And he's a class act. He lets his racket do the talking."

Peralta said Seal, whom he beat in the semifinals, was "a fighter" and predicted the recent Georgia signee will be "a good college player."

Hollands also praised her collegiate finals foe.

"Karen played very well. She played a very good defensive game and took me out of my game, which is to be aggressive and come forward," Hollands said.

"I pretty much won ugly today. That (tiebreaker) first set turned out to be much more crucial than you would have thought. I did not start particularly well and she had the edge for a few games, but then it was pretty much neck and neck and I managed to win. In that second set she completely took over, but the third set was kind of a role reversal."

Hollands admitted that she doesn't like to lose, but she said Nijssen "pushed me, and that's what made it a good match."

She had to fly to Texas to participate in a pro tournament in Brownsville, but she said she wants to return to Chattanooga when she has time for sightseeing or other activities.

TVOC men's age-group singles winners were Chris Groer in 35s, Philip Johnson in 45s, Mike Parker in 55s, Jim Lazenby in 65s and Toni Dandel in 75s. Amy Dillingham won the women's 35s round robin, and Diane Kakareka was the 45s winner.